Deep Roots
by Eve Nightingale
Summary: -postFMA:B- Riza has put her foot down about her amnesia. Winry questions Eds loyality after she hears him speaking with Farai one evening. Roy tries to contact home. Still marooned in Aerugo. So much is happening behind the scenes, who's pulling the strings? Theme: Personal struggle, trust, one's future. Reviews encouraged. ExW AxOC Ro/Ri
1. Chapter 1 An Old Friend

So I took a look at my old stuff and nearly lost my cookies!

This is an old idea with new life breathed into it. Basically all the same plot, some things were removed, others added in their stead. Overall, a polished version of my 3 part story.

I'm sure new readers will enjoy it it and fans of the old story will like the new angle.

I'm sure you'll love it! XD

Also, if you have to, be ruthless with your reviews. I find that's the best way to improve. (No flames, have come class XP)

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_Chapter 1 - An Old Friend_

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"One, two, three, four, five...six, seven, eight, nine, ten," Ed counted all of his fingers and smiled.

"How many more times are you going to do that?" Al laughed. He looked at his brother laying down across the seat in front of him, arms straight up in the air. Their cabin car was expensive and big enough to stretch out in.

Once again, the brothers were on the road again, back to Resembool. After retrieving their bodies it was time to settle down some roots back home. They decided to live with the Rockbells, until the time to move on was once again upon them. But for the now they rested, rejuvenating their weakened bodies.

Edward sat up and rested his elbows on his knees. "I've got years to catch up on," he said, sitting up and rotating his right shoulder. Stretching once, he laid across the seats in the opposite direction so he could see out the window. "Wake me up when we can see the station." They were still several hours away from Resembool and he needed some sleep before facing Winry. He wasn't expecting her to be cross over losing his automail, rather he was expecting her to 'run tackle' coupled with a hug. He figured he would also have to explain what happened, so rest was needed.

"Okay, brother," Al said as he cracked open his book and took up the paragraph where he had left off. The page was marked with a yellow, silk covered bookmark he had found amidst Ed's things. Only minutes ticked by when he could hear Ed's heavy breathing of deep sleep begin. The times they spent in Central weren't easy, but now, it was time to lay back and relax.

A knock came to the door breaking Al's concentration. Upon opening it, he could see a petite girl with bright green eyes staring at him, up at him rather. "Yes," he said politely.

She held up a basket filled with small fabric bags tied with different colour ribbons. "I'm selling herbal medicine to help fund this trip. Could I interest you in any?"

Al didn't quite know what to say. "Sure. What's there?" he asked, looking into the wicker basket.

"Let's see what I've got left," she said, rummaging through the bags. "Sleep aids, motion sickness, morning sickness, stress and pain."

"Motion sickness," he spoke blindly. "My brother's not feeling well, I'm sure it'll help." Al had a tendency to be too nice for his own good.

She smiled and handed him a bag with a blue tie. "Here you go, eight Cenz, please," after completing their transaction she thanked him and walked to the next private room, uttering the same shpeel.

He shut the door and heard "I'm not sick," from Edward who spoke from his seat, arm draped across his eyes. He was peering out at Al through a small space between his arm and cheek.

Al turned around and tried to look as innocent as possible. "She needed the help," was his excuse.

Ed raised a skeptical brow at his sibling. "She didn't need to think I was sick." he pointed out.

He looked at the herbal medicine in his hand and tried to gather some words, but nothing came to mind.

"Was she cute?" Ed asked abruptly.

Confused "Why do you want to know?" he inquired.

"You haven't gotten use to having your body back," he said with no further explanation.

Al took his seat. "What are you talking about?"

Ed sat up. "Hormones," he explained in one word.

"I'm not a dog in heat Ed," Al tried to defend his honour.

"Yet you hold eight cenz worth of proof," the older of the two said smugly with a semi-hidden smirk.

He looked at the bag and recalled the emotion he felt after he opened the door. Seeing her face sent him into panic for some reason. "That's not it, brother," taking his seat and pulling his book out again, he ignored his Ed's taunts.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of Al," holding his a hands palm up he shrugged. "even I got a little glossy-eyed at that nurse," Ed referenced the pretty blond nurse who helped him with his physiotherapy. "She had warm hands," he said, rubbing his lame shoulder where the nurse massaged.

"Kind of reminded you of Winry I suppose," Al diverted the attention away from himself.

Ed got defensive. "That's not the reason..." he said hoping to follow it up with good excuse, but failed.

"I knew it," Al said in triumph. "So what are you going to do about that?" he asked, lowering his tone. This was a private matter.

"What do you mean 'What am I going to do'? She's my mechanic, it's easier if things just stay simple between us," folding his arms, he turned his attention out the window to the trees zipping by.

Al knew his brother still had feelings for Winry, it was no doubt. Getting him to admit it however was like finding the philosophers stone at the bottom of a cereal box. "Why?" catching his brother off guard he smirked. Al was glad he successfully diverted the attention back to his brother. Al could see that Ed gave up on his nap to scowl for a while.

"It just is," Ed relaxed from his tense pose. "Hey, Al," he began.

"Yeah?" he said looking up from his reading.

There was a long pause. "Nothing."

After finally reaching the Rockbell house Ed's prediction came true; Winry gave them a running hug. Once they were done brushing the dust from their clothes they made it in the house to see Pinako. Another face glad to see them alive and well.

"Now what?" Winry began tuning up Ed's leg as soon as the pleasantries were over. It was business as usual in the garage.

"Al and I want to travel," he began.

Winry scoffed. "That's all you ever do," she said looking down at Ed's knee joint, frustrated. But at what? At the knee or the ass attached to it? "I'm going to have to take it off." With a quick hand she popped off the outer shell of his knee joint and attempted to lift the locking mechanism. It was stuck. "It's a little hard." She pushed up with more force.

"Here, I can get it off." Ed looked at his right hand, it's soft peachy flesh taunting him. "Or not..."

Winry stood up. "I'll just oil it up and I'm sure it'll do the trick," she reached into a nearby drawer and took out a small oiling can. "Here, I'll just stick it in there," she injected some lubricant to the locking pin. Slipping the lock out of place she removed Ed's leg. "Told you I could get it off. I still have the spare, you want me to get it for you?" An uneasy ear was listening from the other side of the door; it walked away after using the contextual clues to figure out that what was happening, wasn't actually happening.

He nodded. "Alright." Ed didn't like the spare, but there was no choice after how damaged his leg got in the fight with 'father'. He was fortunate that it stopped functioning when it did, in the hospital. He took a fall and managed to take Al down with him when it did.

Attaching the spare was easy, it wasn't automail, it was just a 'dumb limb' with an ankle and knee joint. Ed referred to it as a glorified peg leg. He walked on it with a limp, but still made it to the garage door. "Think it'll be done by tomorrow?" he asked.

Winry thought. "Maybe," she began to examine the inner joint only to have it crumble apart in her hands. "...Give me a few days to cast a new ball joint and rod."

"Days? Never took you that long before," he said smugly.

"Yeah, but we also have other patients that were here before you. And now that you're not in a rush to go anywhere, I can get you to wait." She gathered the broken pieces of the rod used to make Ed's synthetic shin bone.

"...thanks," that said, he walked off.

Normally Ed would have argued with her, but he didn't. '_Maybe he's going to stay home a little longer this time._' Winry smiled warmly as she picked up the last fragment to bring to the kiln.

The next couple of days went by without incident. It seemed the peaceful days of summer were plenty. So was the food, out in the kitchen he could see Al talking to Pinako from across the table. She was up on her stool preparing food. He rubbed his hands together. "Are we having stew?" His favourite.

"Yes. Be a dear and go pry Winry away from the workshop," she said while brandishing a large cleaver, bringing it down on a head of cabbage and cutting it perfectly in half.

Unnerved by the motion Ed obliged the request and walked down the hall. He could hear Winry welding from the other side of the door. He knocked. "Winry? Supper," He said and heard Winry shut the torch off. When she opened the door, Ed could see she was working hard, she even broke a sweat. "It's almost time to eat."

She bit the index finger of her glove and pulled it off. they were new gloves, so one was too slippery to pull the other off. "Thanks," she pulled the remaining glove off with her free hand. "I need a shower." She walked past him.

"Winry," Ed began but stopped.

Winry stopped and looked at him, he was rubbing the back of his neck, signalling tension. "What's on your mind?"

He stammered with a few syllables before coming up with "I want to talk to you."

"About what?" she said, now quite nervous. They were already talking, so that meant Ed wanted to talk seriously.

"Later on...Go clean up, you've got oil on your cheek," he said taking his leave. Winry couldn't help but notice his hunched forward neck, making her think she wasn't going to like the conversation. Throwing her gloves on a nearby work bench, she locked up the garage. She also remembered to get a shower before eating with the rest of the crew.

The smell of supper permeated every corner of the country house. It was time to sit down to Al's first meal with everyone. He had been eating well the last couple of days, but this was the first time everyone had the time to sit down all together. It was also the first bowl of Pinako's stew he had since he was eight.

There came a knock to the door right before Al even reached for his fork. Pinako held up a hand. "You kids eat, I'll go see who it is," she laid her own bowl down and went around the corner to open the door.

They couldn't hear much, it was muffled. When Pinako finally came back in the kitchen, she was holding a small brown felt bag tied with white ribbon. "Who was that?" Winry asked, as she took the bag from her grandmother was handing her. She examined it.

"A young lady who was selling medicine door to door," as soon as he saw the bag in Winry's hand, Al shot up from his seat. "Hmm?"

"Is she still out there?" he asked, not waiting for a reply, he sprang for the front door.

"...I bought some valerian root. You should take some before bed to help you sleep," she said knowing full well Winry's sleep habits grew sporadic during the busy months.

"Thanks granny," she looked in Al's general direction. "What's up with him? Did he want something from her too?"

Ed shrugged. "Apparently she's too cute to pass up, if that's her. We ran into her on the train selling her medicine," Ed didn't budge, he remained at the table to finish his food, but kept a sharp ear out for what his sibling was saying.

"Ooh," she too stuck her ear in the same direction as Ed. Pinako followed up with a rather large hearing device, a curved phonograph speaker.

She was at the end of the driveway when Al called to her. He stood in front of the little sales girl as she walked up to him. "Long time no see," he said awkwardly. "Did you manage to sell much?"

The red head stepped up to the door to hear him better. "Yes, enough to stay at a little bed and breakfast down the road. Then it's back on the train again," her hands slapped her thighs. Her composure signaling she wasn't looking forward to it, or she didn't have enough money.

"Did you already make reservations?" he saw her shake her head. "Why not stay here? We have a spare bed."

"I'd hate to impose," she really wanted to though. Funds were tight.

"Don't be silly, we see patients come and go everyday," Pinako said as she appeared from behind Al. "Save your money for your trip."

She looked behind her and let out a sigh. "I guess I'm in no position to refuse kindness."

They let her to the front door frame and heard the most disturbing of noises. "What in the world was that?" the little old lady turned to face the newcomer.

The girl had a hand over her stomach. "It's been a while since I ate last...and the lovely smell in here isn't helping."

Without wasting anymore time, they invited in the guest to the kitchen for some delicious stew. Pouring a bowl before she had time to refuse.

Ed set his eyes on her and he sat up straight. He thought to himself for a moment. "Wait a second. Do I know you?"

"Maybe. I'm Aria, from Glade," a large farming community in the south. "Its usually pretty busy there, so I might have run into you before. What's your name?"

"Edward Elric and this is my little brother Alphonse. We travelled around a lot, you would probably remember him as a suit of armour."

Aria gasped as her eyes lit up. She covered her mouth with her hands. "My god, I do remember you two!"

Ed looked at her with curiosity. "I don't remember you having red hair though," it was true, Ed recalled it was brown.

"I dyed it this colour before I moved." She held a strand of the bright red coloured hair.

"I also remember Al being a bit sweet on you. I guess he just didn't recognize you on the train," he said in an attempt to get a rise out of Al.

"I don't remember her, brother," Al said abruptly.

Ed raised an eyebrow at Alphonse then looked at Aria, who now looked hurt. "What do you mean? We spent three days there. I had that fever. You and her talked until the sun came up. Come on Al," he tried to jog his memory.

"I don't remember a thing...actually, I barely remember anything when I was in that armour," he looked worried, as did the rest of them. "I mostly remember lab five, the hospital when Winry visited and our fight...only a few things when we were up north. Then the fight with 'father'."

Edward seemed disappointed, all the memories they had together had vanished. For what reason?

"It's alright guys," Winry spoke optimistically. "Maybe if we talk about the past, it'll bring some memories back." she suggested.

"Good idea," Ed said as he got up to rummage through his luggage. Removing his black book he opened it and skimmed the pages and stopped on one near the front. "Do you remember me getting my automail?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I also remember bringing you to the house. Roy visited us shortly after."

Things began to look up. They went through the years up until they reached Glade in the spring of 1913. Al had remembered a chunk of things he thought he forgot. It seemed like the trauma of getting his body back just suppressed his memories temporarily.

"We arrived in town early morning, had been walking since the sunrise. Went to the local kiosks, bought bread, honey and some vegetables. Started feeling dizzy," Ed read his jot note from the day they met. Looking up occasionally to see if Al was having a breakthrough. "Needed to lay down, went to a local hospital. Ran into merchant, bought ginger root extract."

Alphonse squinted his eyes, trying hard to remember.

It may have been unintentional, but Aria looked very determined. The thought fluttered through her head. '_Please don't forget out promise!_'

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If you know what it is, please don't give it away. Be a good sport. :)

Reviews are encouraged.


	2. Chapter 2 A Promise

I stayed up till one finishing this.

Enjoy.

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**Chapter 2 - A Promise**_

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_With leather clad hands, Alphonse rang the water from a light yellow wash cloth. "Here brother," he said, laying the cloth over Ed's forehead._

_"__Thanks," Edward arranged the cool cloth on his eyebrows. He suspected his malaise was because of the weather, it happened each season when the temperature would change. Both of Ed's automail anchors caused him such grief at times._

_Al stood up straight, armour creaking as it always did. "You should eat something," he said sympathetically._

"_...maybe later." He shut his eyes. Edward had taken some medicine to help with the fever, so until it started working he wanted to sleep._

"_Just get some rest then," Al got up and left the room, sure to shut the door behind him quietly._

"_How is he?" A girls voice asked._

_Al turned to face a small young lady with short cut brown hair. "Still uneasy, I'm sure a nap will do brother some good though. An actual bed isn't something you get while on the road."_

_Ed and Al were on yet again another wild goose chase for the philosopher's stone. They received a tip from some crazy cult leader from the village of Glade. He said he knew the truth about the philosopher's stone. It turned out he was just insane, insane to the point he was recruiting followers and promising them immortality. In the slim chance he knew what he was talking about, it was best to put an end to it then. Ed informed the authorities and they hauled the man away. Most likely, to a very soft room with a big thick lock on the door. He would be questioned further, but Ed was cynical and didn't expect anything._

_The village had a noticeably different dialect. "So where you two hail from?" she asked while trying her best not to stare at the suit of armour her guest refused to remove. _

_Al walked down the hall behind her, occupying most of the space in the tiny farm house hallway. "We're originally from Resembool, but we're actually coming from central. It's business."_

"_I see..." She had intercepted the brothers shortly after they came into town. Seeing the large suit of armour wasn't what made her approach them, rather it the small blond boy accompanying him. His head laid flat on a table and she inquired what was wrong. The girl introduced herself as 'Aria'. Being a gracious resident of the farming community, she invited them to stay at her home till Ed felt better. "What kind of business? You selling things? Trades?" she guessed._

"_Uh, it's confidential. Sorry, I can't say." He absentmindedly arranged the long pony tail attached to his helmet._

_Aria had seen the pocket watch Ed had, so she assumed it was with the military. "That's ok. Care to see my business?" It wasn't often she had guests, she pretty much kept to herself, so it was exciting to finally get to show somebody._

"_I'd love to," Al followed her into a room with very specific lighting. The room was lined with narrow tables and there two tables in the centre. Each had many different types of flowering and non-flowering plants. "You garden."_

"_Yes," she said. "I'm starting up my own business. I want to make herbal medicine. There's only a few around town who make it, and no one on my side does. I got lucky," she held the petals of a red blossom and rubbed it between her fingers._

"_Impressive. Was that what you gave brother?" Al inquired._

_Aria shook her head. "No, that was from the store. I hope to get up and running by next year. There's a written test I need to do for my licence and I need that before I can sell anything. The hospital's pharmacologist is going to take a look at my work after I do the test, then I can start making medicine for them."_

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_

Alphonse folded his arms as Ed and Aria told bits of the story together. "...I sort of remember," he was still mostly drawing a blank.

"Anything else noteworthy Ed?" Winry asked, tapping a finger on the arm of her chair as she waited.

Ed flipped to another page of his book. "The next day I..."

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_...woke up feeling much better._

"_I could really go for whatever's cooking," Ed followed his nose out of the bedroom and into the kitchen. Aria was beside Al making eggs while he was preparing some vegetables, presumably for lunch._

"_Here you go," Aria turned around, balancing two plates on one arm and holding the third in her other hand. She laid them out for them._

_Ed and Al quickly gave each other a worried look. They hadn't told Aria about Al's affliction, and they weren't planning on it. "I'm actually not that hungry," he tried to avoid an awkward explanation as to why he was empty inside._

"_Don't be silly. Money's tight, but I can spare a couple eggs," she heard the phone ring in the other room. "Damn, I'll get that. You two can start, mine's too hot." She left the room._

"_Quick Al, give me that." Ed reached over the table and took the majority of Al's omelet, jammed it in his mouth and practically swallowed it whole. It went down hard, he cringed._

"_Ah, quick thinking," Al placed his fork in the cheese and then laid it to the side, giving the illusion that he ate it._

_The phone slammed down hard on the receiver only minutes later. Aria walked back in the room looking distraught. "I knew you were hungry," she tried to smile._

"_Who was that?" Al asked as he read Aria's facial expression. Apparently, it wasn't a very pleasant caller._

"_Nothing, just a guy who likes to pester me," she sat down and took a bite of her own food._

"_Need us to flatten someone?" Al said jokingly._

_She rolled her eyes and actually smiled. "If only." She took another bite and pushed her plate aside, not even half eaten. "If one of you wants it, you can. I'm going to get some work done. Excuse me," she got up and went to the room with the flowers._

_Ed continued shovel-eating. He took Aria's plate and slid the egg on to his own._

"_She looked pretty upset," Al noted the lack of eating to be a sign of distress, just like the look on his brother's face. "What's wrong with you?"_

"_Too many eggs," he said barely being able to finish all nine. It was then that Edward went back to the bedroom, hoping to sleep off the eggs. He said that if Aria asked, his headache came back._

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"Wait!" Al spoke quickly. It was a good thing too, Ed had reached the end of his paragraph. "I do recall something," he began.

The group listened on in anticipation. Especially Aria, she was now visibly crossing her fingers on one hand.

"Later on I..."

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_

_...went to check on Aria._

_He knocked on the door of the room she retired to for the last hour. Hearing a 'come in' he turned the knob and the door silently slipped open. "Aria...you alright?" he asked quietly._

"_Yeah, I'm okay now." She sounded disamused._

_He could see her squinting one eye shut and looking through a microscope with the other. "What are you doing?" He got closer and saw that she had a large pile of tiny red petals beside her. There were also some beakers with an odd red liquid in them. Al's mind darted to the worst possible conclusions._

"_I'm making dye. I'm seeing if it's crystallizing the way I want it to," she said as she adjusted the focus._

_Al breathed a momentary sigh of relief. "What for?" he asked and sat on a nearby stool._

"_Perfect," she said as she removed the slide. She looked up. "I'm doing tattoo work to earn some money for my pharmaceutical exam. All the flowers in this room are used for either dye, or medicine. And actually, there's a few that do both. Apparently this is one of them," she said as she handed him the glass container with red liquid inside._

_Maybe they hadn't come up dry after all. "Oh really? How?"_

_Aria laughed. "You're going to think this is crazy," she stood up from what she was doing and cracked a kink out of her neck. "This red water, is suppose to be...'Magical'!" She wiggled all her fingers toward him._

_Though he still wanted to look into this 'red water' issue better he couldn't help but chuckle. "Are there any other ingredients?"_

_She nodded. "Aside from water and oil from the petals, there's also coconut oil that acts as emulsifier. But this guy claimed that 'red water' can help a man achieve immortality."_

_Al's mind darted to so many possibilities. He decided to probe even deeper. "What man?"_

"_The one who I was on the phone with. He's nuts, but he's paying me to do some research for him. I only agreed because it's hard for me to cover rent, food and my exam," she said while picking up a large crate of glass jars filled with red water, they varied in size. "He's giving me seventy-thousand cenz if I fill this," she tapped the sturdy wooden frame as she spoke. "Over a year of growing left and then I can get paid big money."_

_Relieved the 'red water' issue was nothing to fret over, he was still concerned on another matter. There was still someone form that cult around. And Aria was peaking their interests. "Aren't you worried these guys will try and harm you?"_

_She nodded. "Yeah, but...I don't have any other options at this point."_

"_Where are your parents?" he asked, unaware of her sore spot._

_Aria shut her eyes. "They got lost at sea..."_

"_I'm sorry," he could see she was shaken by the question. "Brother and I lost our parents too. Dad walked out before I could even remember him and Mom passed away from illness a few years ago. I kind of know what you're going through."_

_Aria was shocked. "That's kind of you to share that. Thank you. So...you two are working for the army now? I saw your brother's watch," she said as she took the beaker of red water from Al's hand and put it with the rest._

"_That's right..." He weighed the options of letting Aria know more and decided it was best if she knew at least a little more. "Aria, can I trust you with something?" he said quietly._

"_I don't see why not." She sat down and listened intently._

_Al began to explain about why they came to this village. They were looking for the man talking about the philosopher's stone. "It's a coincidence we ran into you of all people. You're actually helping the guy."_

"_Rather, I was. It was actually his son on the phone...he said his father was taken away by 'the men in white coats'," she became worried. "So, was you two who got him taken away?"_

"_Yeah." Al hadn't realized it until just then. "Wait. If that guy knows we stayed here, won't he think you had something to do with this? We should leave then," Al was about to get up when Aria stopped him._

"_Don't worry, he isn't in town...I'm sure no one he knew saw," she then played with a short strand of hair, thinking deeply._

_Al smacked his fist on the opposite hand. "If they ask, tell them we interrogated you. We found nothing useful after searching your home, so we left. It would explain why we're here for so long. Then, when they come looking for this-uh 'magic' water, tell them you hid it from us. It makes it look like you're on their side."_

_Aria smiled. "That's great! You must get in trouble a lot," she giggled._

_Caught a little off guard Alphonse searched for words. "I-no...not really, sometimes we...yeah. We do. To be fair, it's mostly brother's fault!" He was sweating bullets._

_The brunette held her sides with laughter. "So sure!" They shared a laugh. It felt good for Aria to laugh, she hadn't felt that happy in a while. "I'm glad I got to meet you Al."_

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_

"Awwww." Winry pinched Al's cheek.

"Aww." Aria pinched the other, no where near as hard though.

He shooed them away. "I also remember, the rest of the day too."

Winry was all ears. "What are you waiting for? Get on with the story," she said in a hurried tone.

"Well stop pulling my face off and I'll talk. We stayed for one more night because..."

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_...I wanted to take Aria to the market._

"_I feel fine!" Edward exclaimed as he was being shoved back into the bedroom. Heels skidding on the floor as he was moved._

"_No, you don't! You're burning up," Al said quickly as he tried to close the door._

_Ed stuck his automail knee in the way. "You just want some alone time with her, huh?" Alphonse went on the defensive, both verbally and physically. It looked like he was about to knock him out over this. "Ha! You're **so** sly. Fine, burning up, queasy and tired. Got ya." Ed closed the door behind him. Snickering could still be heard._

_Al couldn't help but feel sarcasm somewhere in there. Was this how he made his brother feel when he picked at him about Winry? He made a note to keep doing it. It was very effective._

_Aria was sweet for helping them out the way she did, so he decided to return the favour. By mid-afternoon, they were out the front door. "I still don't know Al, that's a lot of money I don't have," she said looking in her purse at the remaining funds._

"_I trusted you with a secret of mine, now you've got to trust me with this. I promise, you won't be disappointed," he said cheerfully. He had convinced her. They bought multiple bags of plant food and months worth of her red flower seeds along with two large bags of soil. The spree successfully cleaned Aria out._

_When they got back, she tipped her purse upside down on her kitchen table and counted out her remaining change. "Well, if I stretch it, I bet it could feed myself for a few hours."_

_Al laughed. "I thought I said to trust me? Come on in the plant room."_

"_It's actually the 'garden room'." She corrected him._

_After making it to the room Al moved the tables around, clearing the centre of the floor. "Let's have some soil," he said, grabbing a large terracotta pot._

"_Oh~kay." she said with extreme confusion. She shovelled in the dirt while Alphonse carved what seemed to be a transmutation circle on the floor. Right into the wood. Aria cringed. After making a decent mixture of plant food pellets and dirt, she planted the seeds of the dendranthema grandiflorum (red flowers) in the centre._

_While she was doing this, Al was rearranging the lights to point at the circle. "Great." He slid the pot onto the circle._

"_Al?" Her eyes brightened._

"_Grab your watering can," Alphonse said as he stood up, arms crossed over the circle, waiting. Aria obliged. "Now, start pouring." He then activated the circle and the room lit up cobalt blue. The flowers sprouted, matured and then blossomed all in a matter of seconds. Water trickled down their petals, leaves and stems as the plant came to fruition._

_Aria squealed in delight. "We should be done in no time!"_

"_Lets work quickly. I'll fill the can, you pick them apart and prepare some more soil for growing," he said, voice filled with lots of encouragement._

"_Right!" With that, Aria got right back to work. Between hauling water, mixing soil, transmuting, harvesting petals, mixing the solution and doing that all over and over again, it had finally ceased at nearly four in the morning. Aria stuffed the last jar she had in the house with red water and jammed it in the crate with the rest of them. She leaned against one of many tables and rubbed her eyes. "I don't think I've ever worked that hard before." Sweat was dripping down her face and back, it made her short hair stick to her cheeks._

"_But we got it all done." He held up a bottle to the light, it appeared to be a different colour than the rest. She explained that they needed to wait for a few days before their colour would deepen. That said, she headed off to the shower and then right to bed._

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______"The next morning, we set out pretty early." Al finished telling the story, it turned out to be a little longer than expected. He could see a few sleepy faces.

"That's so sweet Al." Aria hugged him from the side. "I'm glad you remembered me."

He couldn't help but blush. "Me too. I suppose you got your licence now?"

She reached into her bag and pulled out a piece of paper, documenting permission to grow many different kinds of plants for medicinal use and the ability to sell them as well. Certain plants were too toxic to grow without knowledge on how to handle them properly. Aria had that knowledge now.

"What a nice story. So dear, where are you headed?" Pinako asked loading up another pinch of tobacco in her pipe.

Aria thought. "Well, I was planning on going to Central and opening up shop there. But when I got there, I found no market for it in the areas I checked. I was just passing through to see if there was a demand for it." She hadn't had time to check yet, it was Sunday and many shops were closed.

"You came to find Al, don't lie," Winry giggled.

"For an automail freak you're being awfully mushy," Ed commented.

Winry hated it when she was caught off guard. "Yeah, well you're being awfully short for sixteen," her mouth moved quickly.

Ed got all 'angry face' at her. "You take that back! I'm still growing!"

"Where? In the mouth? Your attitude?" She too was now 'angry face'.

"Children!" Pinako cut their pissing fight short. "We've got a guest. Save it."

They sat down, a prominent scowl on either of their faces. The others couldn't help but laugh.

After getting settled, they all headed off to bed. Alphonse brought some clean linen for Aria to use.

"You left something out of your story Al," she stated, taking the blankets from his arms.

"Oh yeah? What was that?" he pondered.

"I'll give you a hint. You made a promise," she turned to go in the guest room.

He searched his memory banks. "Can you give me another hint?"

"Nope," she smiled. "Goodnight." She vanished into her room. Aria hoped he would remember on his own.

Al was left holding the bag. What could he have promised to her? Marriage? He couldn't imagine that would be it. Rubbing the back of his head, he turned around to come almost nose to nose with none other than his brother. He was startled.

"What are you so jumpy for?" Ed inquired as he examined the panic yet again on his younger sibling's face.

"I'm not." he lied. "See you in the morning." Al went to his room to avoid any further confrontation.

Ed went to walk to his room but stopped when he felt something warm on his hand. While walking past Winry's room to get to his own, she popped her hand out and held on to his fingers. He paused at the strange behaviour.

"Hey Ed," she said quietly.

"Yeah?"

"Can we talk now?" she began tugging him toward her door.

"Sure," his nerves were now rattled. He could see Winry, barefoot, in just her nightgown.

* * *

Yeah, I waited too long in my other stories to get with the luvin'. So here we go. In chapter three Ed and Winry share a moment together.

What did you guys think?


	3. Chapter 3 Building a Bond

Had to fix where the fighting was supposedly going on.

Did you all know, Resembool is in the south, not the north? Cause I didn't. Fortunately, it's just a name of a place, so I really only have to change a couple things.

* * *

**Chapter 3 - Building a Bond**

* * *

Granny's radio could still be heard playing low in the next room. More than likely catching up on some reading, Winry knew she would be up for a bit longer. It was going to be the only moment she would have to talk quietly with Edward for a while, she was booked to the brim with surgery for the next few weeks. It seemed every summer there was at least one fool who got a limb wedged in the sharp end of a wheat thresher. If that wasn't bad enough, the fighting going on further south was becoming sever.

After General Armstrong left the Briggs mountains, security began to lag all over the country. The military called in replacements from the other borders to compensate for the loss. The shortage left the south to basically fend for themselves. What started as a series of violent crimes within the Aerugo borders led to total anarchy. Certain cities became hazardous to walk around in, day or night. Illegal trades began flooding in: furs, drugs, people, and now military issue weaponry. A base camp was raided and many weapons were lifted.

Winry was fuzzy on the minor details, she knew it meant big money for them. They were planning on adding an extension to the house to accommodate the flux of patients. Being the most renowned and the closest to the border, the military contracted them for at least the next eighteen months. An event that would act as a catalyst for the Rockbell family business. Their name was sure to grow quickly, maybe even become a household name someday.

"What was it you wanted to talk about earlier?" she asked quietly.

"Its just...something Al said. It's stupid," he too spoke in a hush. Ed looked down at his hand, Winry was still clasped his fingers lightly. The only light was a crack from beneath the door; it cast a vague silhouette of their hands connecting.

Maybe she wouldn't have to take that first step after all. She did however want to encourage it. "I bet it isn't," she assured him.

Ed paused, feeling rather anxious. "I said to him that 'you're my mechanic, it easier if you stay that way'."

Her expression turned sad. It seemed she was hoping for naught.

"But then he said 'Why?' ...and I've been thinking about that ever since. I mean," he stammered "it-its not like I _never _thought about something more, I just assumed you wanted to keep it this way."

"You idiot."

Getting defensive he said "Come on, you know I'm no good at this sort of thing," but fell silent when he felt Winry's arms go around his back and pull him close. Ed followed suit and returned the embrace.

They stood there as the seconds ticked by. She had a clock in her room, and its second hand noise was reminiscent of the feeling of Ed's heart through his back. His breathing was deep, or was it just because she was so close to him?

"Lets not put too much momentum into this," he said releasing his grip to look at her. His eyes had adjusted to the darkness. The light shining in the window from the objects in the night sky gave him just enough light to see her face. He'd never seen her look so timid before; it gave him a chill. "I say we do what feels comfortable. No need to rush this right?" his tone was reassuring.

Winry nodded in agreement. "That's right. We've been friends for a really long time, I don't know what its like to be anything else." She felt that learning to get a little closer day by day would be best. It seemed he was the same. At that moment she sensed a great connection.

"We should turn in. Granny's gonna turn off her radio soon and it'll be too quiet for me to move," he said and leaned in for one last hug. This time he held a hand on her lower back and the back of her neck, his fingers brushing it lightly as he let go. "Goodnight."

"Night," was all she managed. It looked like this getting closer thing really was going to take some commitment.

He slipped out as quietly as he did coming in.

Winry had goose bumps and knees that no longer felt solid. She had an arsenal of romantic encounters she frequented in thought, but nothing beat the real thing. The warmer temperature of his skin, the sound of his breathing and the tick of his pulse racing.

Shaking her self hypnosis away, she went to bed and found refuge under her comforter. As she lay still, that same ticking sound filled her room. Winry ran her hand over the bare bed and sighed. Throwing the covers off in a huff she got up and walked to the other side of her room, where the alarm clock was. Taking it in hand, she went back to bed and stuffed it under her pillow then laid an ear to it, clutching it close. "...not the same," she admitted and placed the clock on her night table. Drifting off to sleep she dreamed of work, of all things.

The following morning, before the sun rose, she got right to work. Her next patient would be here by lunch and she needed to make the last part of Ed's knee joint. If it wasn't done before the surgery, he would have to wait _another _day. Winry wasted no time getting the kiln fired up. The metal melted, she poured it in the mold and set it aside to cool. It was best if it cooled naturally, this prevented against weak points. After an hour long haul, still no one was up. "I bet that's a record," she praised herself and closed the garage up. It was time to pre-prep for surgery.

Winry made a check list. Granny needed it for when she got up. Tools, automail parts and blood from the hospital were all ready to go. As were their scrubs. Winry laid down her pen and paper, she had one more thing to check. The post-surgery medication. The military had medical insurance beyond what anyone in town could hope for, so they spared no expense when it came to pain killers.

A click and creak came from upstairs. Someone was up. As Winry went to check the safe in the back room, she saw Aria sleepily walking down the steps. "Morning," she said.

"Good morning. Did you sleep well?" she asked, twisting the knob to the safe.

"More or less. I woke up in the middle of the night and forgot where I was. That was kinda scary." Aria wrestled with her hair in an attempt to get it tied back. Strands were everywhere in her face and flying every which way off her head. It was no secret that she just crawled out of bed.

"I did that on the train once and almost fell out of my seat." With a creak, the safe opened and she counted the number of pills she had. "seventeen, eighteen...This won't last!" She shut the safe and began to panic. If they couldn't fulfil the requirements of the contract, they would lose their chance at keeping the military patients. Were there other places she could get the medication required? '_Nooo, the strength being called for needs to be ordered._'

"What's wrong?" she said, finally able to see clearly again; Winry's face looked horrified.

"We only have enough for one patient! My shipment doesn't come from the pharmaceutical company until Thursday, that's three days away!" She grabbed her own hair. "How did I overlook this? Granny's going to have my head! Nooo! The building supplies for the add-on have already been ordered!" She fell to her knees, overly dramatic. The room darkened and a spotlight fell on her, sobbing.

Aria's voice turned the lights on. "Winry...I make painkillers for a living."

Winry's episode stopped and in a flash she had Aria by the shoulders, shaking her back and forth, just to make sure she wasn't a figment of her imagination. "Say what now? Are they powerful?"

Dizzied, she spoke, "Yeah."

Winry felt like she won the lottery. "Perfect! You're not going anywhere near a train today! You're going to work. What do you need, to get started?" she allowed Aria to regain her balance.

"Coordination is a good start. After that, all I need is some dirt to grow some plants," and before she could get another word out, Winry had taken her out the front door and into the side of the house. Smoke trailed them. Aria didn't feel her feet touch the ground the whole way there. "The sun's still rising?" Aria said, checking her small wrist watch. "It's only five?" she was now standing in the grass.

"The sun rises here and is on this side of this house all day. I heard that's important to know. So these plants...they can grow in a day and a half," it would seem that she was not completely fluent in what Aria did.

"I can have it done in a matter of minutes." She smiled.

"With alchemy?" Winry assumed.

"Yeah. When Al first transmuted my red flowers, I made sure I learned it before he left. We stayed up all night until I got it right," she giggled to herself as she remembered the mishaps with her first few tires. One backfire gave her a mouthful of dirt.

"How come he didn't mention anything last night?" Winry thought that was kind of Al to teach her, why not mention it?

"He did leave a couple things out." Aria didn't even realize she was blushing.

Winry, however, picked up on it right away. "I knew it. You did come to see him. Look at your cheeks!"

"Can you tell?" she laughed at herself holding her now bright red face. "Was that silly of me?" With little to no opportunity for growth in her current location, she needed to move. She drifted from village to village, getting to know the world around her and finally found herself drifting in this direction. Deciding to come here was because Ed and Al were the only people she knew this far outside her own village, and money was growing scarce.

"Who cares now! You came at the perfect time. That's amazing luck, just go with it," she found it lined up nicely.

"I think you're right! Kind of makes me wish I were old enough to buy a lottery ticket," they laughed.

"You and I both. If you didn't show up we wouldn't be able to fill this order. So lets get started. What's next?"

"Seeds..." she reminded her. "Everything I need is in my things."

"...I need more sleep." Winry was actually going back to bed to sleep till the patient got here. "I'll get your bag."

"And my shoes?" she said wiggling a bare foot above the grass.

"And your shoes." Winry headed back inside, it seemed her earlier excitement drained her. Gathering up Aria's bag, it was heavy. She also picked up her thick heeled sandals and brought them out to her.

"Thanks." She slipped them on.

"One more thing, how do we calculate the strength of this medicine to 'store bought'?"

"I have a book for conversions, so you leave that to me. I was hoping you knew the pill strength," she said as she took out a pen and paper.

"I do. Okay, there's two men coming today and one tomorrow. Each pill has 40 milligrams of codine and 10 milligrams of tubocurarine chloride. They get two pills three times a day," It was a painkiller and muscle relaxant combination. She had it memorized, just such an occasion where she would need to substitute something.

Aria loved word problems in school, so this was easy. "Eighteen and eighteen for the first two and twelve for the last one. No problem. You get some sleep. I'll even make extra to cover you in the chance of a late delivery." She dug a few books from her bag.

"Thank you." Winry went back to bed to catch her last few hours of sleep. The first man needed a new right leg and the second only needed a repair. It was, however, a serious repair that required some nerves to be re-attached.

The day went by quickly and both procedures had gone smoothly. Pinako took the second man to arrive into the recovery room and placed him next to the first. By the end of the day Winry was exhausted. She entered the kitchen, were Aria was sorting out the pills she made. They were a pressed powder pill, beige in colour. "You're finished?"

"Yup. That was a tough one," she said stretching her sore neck and rotating her cramped wrists. "There's still the chance he'll lose some sensitivity. We'll have to keep an eye on him."

Aria wore gloves and a mask. "This here shouldn't slow healing time," she said holding up the patient's first dose in a dixie cup. He was to take them as soon as he woke up in recovery. Aria gave the pills to Winry, "it's the advantage to not using narcotics for pain killers."

"Winry, he's up!" They heard from the other room.

"Gotta hurry, thanks," She rushed off with the medicine.

Edward entered from the other side of the kitchen. "I need to ask you something," he began as he approached Aria from behind. "I'm getting my automail leg reattached tomorrow morning. Would one of these painkillers would work for me? Or are they too strong?"

She nodded. "Yeah, this is for post-op use only. But I can make you something else tomorrow. There's not enough sun right now," she said peering out the kitchen window. It cast an orange glare off the table making her squint.

"Would you? Thanks," he said, taking his leave, following Winry's path this time.

Ed came across to her as the reserved type, while Al was more likely to begin a conversation and chat. Now that she got a glimpse of the 'real' Elric brothers, she could see their parallels and their differences. They were indeed unique individuals and she was glad to have found them again. If nothing came of her and Al beyond friendship, she would still say the trip was worth while.

But Alphonse was still drawing a blank on this 'promise' he apparently made. Aria packed up the medicine and went to find Al. She sat on the carpet in front of him; he was in the living room finishing some stretches.

They had waited in Central after being restored for an additional two months, too weak to travel. Alphonse looked noticeably slender, but still full of life. The bulk would come with time.

"I remembered more," he said to her.

"Did you? Tell." She smiled, biting her bottom lip lightly.

* * *

"_You've got to teach me this. I'd be able to keep going from here on my own," she clasped her hands together._

_He snickered. _"_No need to beg." He laid his large hand over both of hers. "I'll start with the basics. I bet you'll get it before morning."_

"_Al! You've done so much. Would you take off that helmet?" she asked abruptly._

"_Uh, why?" he was tense._

"_You deserve a kiss." she said with a blush going cheek to cheek._

_

* * *

_

Aria nodded. "You told me about your mom, how your brother got his arm and leg, and you the armour...I still found it hard to believe. But there it was." She was referring to the blood seal.

Alphonse was silent a for a second. "I also remember that promise. You promised to give me that kiss when I got restored," he looked sly.

She smiled shyly, face ablaze. "I know I said that! But I'd rather get to know you better, Al. I'm just so shy, it was probably just going to be a kiss on the cheek anyway." She buried her face behind her knees.

He laughed. "That's fine. Judging from the reaction you got from Winry this morning, we've got plenty of time to make friends."

She raised her head. "Yeah. Its just, I wasn't planning on being anywhere, but she demanded I not go. I was expecting her to latch me to a ball and chain." Winry now had a alchemist-pharmacologist on site, it was a commodity Winry just couldn't pass up. Not having to pay nor wait for shipping and higher comfort levels for patients, how could she let that go? They found their edge.

Al knew she could be overbearing at times. "I remember the first time we went to Rush vally, she was bouncing on the bed, spinning around and kicking her feet begging to go. It was terrifying. She's instant, but she's a good person deep down."

"I can tell. She's just passionate," Aria smiled.

Meanwhile, out in the hall by the recovery room, Ed waited for Winry to be done. She and Pinako were talking to the patient about his recuperation and where he would be going for rehabilitation. Pinako decided to wait with the man while Winry went back to her daily life. Removing her bloodied scrubs, she tossed them in the bin to be washed. She was stiff and sore from leaning over for so long.

"Tired?" he asked as she stepped out of the room, for the first time he noticed his height on par with hers.

"Yeah," she said while rotating her shoulders.

"Meat pie for dinner sound okay?" He was hoping she would agree, Aria already made the pastry crust.

"It does. I think I'm going to lean against the oven while it's cooking." She walked by Ed down the hall towards the kitchen. "I could use some heat on my back."

He paused allowing her to get a step ahead. Taking hold of her shoulders he said "stop," quietly.

She paused and felt his hands rubbing across her shoulders, down between her shoulder blades and back again. They created a lot of friction heat, it was soothing. For a solid minute she stood there in utter bliss.

"When you hunch for a long time, you loose blood flow and get all stiff," he said. "I hear it from the doctors enough, figured I'd pass it on."

She snickered. "Thanks Ed," she touched his hands and turned to face him. "I feel better already." She was shocked at how forward his actions were, but didn't mind too much. Winry just never pictured him to be the 'romantic type'. Was this a side he never showed anyone else? She was moved.

After supper, the girls decided to take a walk. They went to the neighbours to buy some sugar for backing while Ed and Al stayed back to clean up. The pie was gone and all that was left was some gravy. "I seen it in here somewhere, ah," Ed was in the living room.

"Get back in here." Al was to his elbows in suds.

"Hold on, they won't take too long," he came into view reading a book with no visible cover, "I only have a few more pages to check."

Alphonse dried his hands and arms to see what Ed was obsessing over now. "A diary?" he guessed.

"Nope, romance novel." Ed looked at the cover for a title, then resorted to the inner page. "Seven Nights."

"Why are you-?" Al couldn't finish the sentence.

"_I'm _not. Winry is. I'm trying to figure out what her version of 'courting' is." He shut the book and showed him the top, all the pages lined neatly. "See the 'dog eared' ones?" he inquired as he flipped to a random one. "Read," he said holding the book out.

Al adjusted the distance and read silently. "..." His eyes widened. "Brother, I don't think that's how you 'court' any lady."

He looked at the passage and chortled. Again, he flipped through. "This is a better one," he turned to a page he had read already and faced the book Al's way.

And once more, he read. "...that's better, but why would you do that?"

Ed snapped the book shut. "I don't know Al, girls are weird. And if any of this helps, I'll take it. Things like shoulder rubbing and breathing technique, how the hell was I suppose to know any of that? Someone needs to write a book about 'courting'." Ed had come clean about wanting to be with Winry, that way he could get Al's help

Al thought. "I think they have. But, if you do anything from that book she's going to know you went through it."

"I'm not doing it word for word, just some ideas on how to start. Besides, I doubt Winry could bend that way." he laughed.

"That's twisted." Al shook his head.

* * *

There, fixed it.

Can I get some reviews on this? Just wanting to know what you guys like or dislike.


	4. Chapter 4 First Experience

This one was a 'trip' to write. ;)

Feb - 14 - Fixed some issues with sentence structure in this one.

* * *

**Chapter 4 First Experience**

****

**

* * *

**

Ed and Al sat across from one another on the hall floor. The linen closet at the top of the stairs had a curious box in it, stuffed neatly at the back. Edward couldn't pass it up. Sure enough, books! Having a wider range of research meant a greater rate of success. He found some old mushy books that had been cast aside. They were flimsy; obviously read many times. "Do you really need 'it' this badly?" Al said. It had been an hour since they started book hunting.

"You know I don't. I said we're going slow," he had informed Al of his plans with Winry and even scammed him into helping find more books around the house. "I'm just preparing for the inevitable," he said defensively. "Besides, I'm sure you'll need this too someday."

"I don't think there's much I'm going to do with any of this." Admittedly, the lead in scenes were tolerable. Poetic even. Accidentally reading a line in the middle of a 'love making' scene could be quite jarring. They spared no expense with the details.

Picking up another book with a faded cover, Ed flipped it open easily. He read the first few sentences and began skim reading the rest. "...Yup, there it is." He had located the beginning of the smutty scene. "Is this what sex is for some people? It's disgusting."

"Nah, I'm sure they're doing it wrong," " Al stared blankly at one of the pages, its words resembled a train wreck; too horrifying to look away. He closed the book and looked for a date. It was a 'black label' book, so it wasn't mainstream. These were books printed and sold privately, most likely a bookstore trying to earn a little 'under the table' money that didn't get taxed. "1872? These books are over forty years old," he said, giving his older brother a horrified glance.

They carefully slid the old box back to its safe location, away from prying eyes. The dates on the books suggested that they didn't belong to Winry. Both vowed to forget all within their covers.

Ed decided to focus on the task at hand, getting his automail reattached. They went downstairs. The house was empty except for them. Pinako took the two girls in the recovery room with her to help change bandages. This freed Ed for some time to snoop. He had found several more books and was sure he had enough knowledge to at least know what not to do.

"This sucks." Ed groaned as he slumped down in a vacant kitchen chair. "It's still going to hurt."

"Aria said the medicine would kill the pain, don't worry," Al tried to relax him.

Ed gave him a sceptical glance. "Come on, we all know how well herbal remedies go. They don't beat the real thing," the real thing being a factory produced product, made by a chemist. Alchemy and medicine never went hand in hand in his mind. The only exception to this rule was Dr. Marco, but he used a red stone.

"That one she gave the other patients was effective," he had heard Pinako giving a report over the phone earlier that morning.

"Yeah, she was using plants that had known tranquilizing effects. She said I'm getting something different. Not as strong." Ed was all too familiar with the pain of reattaching the automail, it felt the same as post-op pain. It only lasted for a day or so, until he walked it off, but getting to the 'walking stage' took hours. Had he not such a negative affinity toward needels, they could just numb the affected area. It wasn't effective enough to make anyone want to hold Ed down for the injections, so it wasn't really an option in the end.

"Give it a chance," he heard the large door of the recovery room open.

Aria entered the kitchen holding a glass platter scattered with eight or nine small deep yellow beads. They seemed to stick to the surface. "Ready for the meds?" she asked, grabbing a dot between her thumb and forefinger. "It's fresh, so it's still jelly."

Ed eyed it suspiciously. "Are you sure this is going to work?"

She nodded. "It's a plant that's dulled pain for over seven thousand years, I doubt it's going to stop working now. The amount I'm giving you should put you at a tolerable level."

He took the pill in front of his face and popped it in his mouth then swallowed.

"Give it about half an hour to an hour to start working. By the time we're finished in there you should be ready to go," Aria said as she laid the pills in the bottom of the fridge to preserve and set them.

"And if it doesn't work?" he antagonized.

"Doubting my work? Don't be crazy," she waved a hand at him dismissing the comment. That said, walked off to finish the bandage job on the man who got the new leg.

Ed was still in doubt. "..."

"Brother, if she says it'll work, you should go with it."

He looked down at the 'dummy' leg he had been given. "I'm just tired Al. We finally reached an equilibrium and now I have to be slapped in the face with this pain again? I've got to live with automail the rest of my life, if I have the option to make it bearable, I'll do it. "

Al looked sympathetic. He had no clue what his brother had gone through during surgery and recuperation. There was a big part of him that didn't know what to say. He had spent the past four years being beaten to a pulp and not feeling a bit of it; Edward was at his side, taking hit for hit too, feeling every pound of pressure, every broken bone every open wound. He just couldn't tell him to calm down and take the pain when that's all he's ever done. "Maybe..." Al began. "If it hurts this time, we'll be sure it doesn't happen again. You can ask her to make you something stronger next time," his words were sincere, but he still felt like asking him to do it one last time was cruel.

"..." Though it was just an extract from some flowers, he still didn't know what it was capable of. "She did say it would put me at a 'tolerable level',"

"Tolerable level? Yeah." Al was following.

Ed gave it some thought. "If one makes it tolerable," he opened the fridge and took one of the now chilled jelly pills from the plate. He was glad she didn't have them in any particular order.

"Wait..." Al began, he was still worried.

"Don't worry," Ed swallowed the second one, "What's the worst that'll happen? It'll make me sick? That's still better than dealing with reconnection." He grabbed a drink of orange juice and made his way to the hall to wait for Winry.

Since they were expanding, Pinako got the neighbours to come move some old furniture out of the attic. It decorated the hallway, but also cramped it. After the construction, there would be a small waiting area for friends or family to sit; this furniture was going to occupy that space. The back room would eventually be used for something else.

"If she catches you, I'm not covering you."

"She won't know." Ed was giving him a stern look. He didn't like the idea of using substances to get through anything, he had his stoic reputation to maintain.

"Okay, brother." He bit his tongue.

They waited for another twenty minutes, playing memory games with the elemental table, until Pinako finally appeared through the door. She had her pipe in hermouth, most likely wanting a smoke before their next patient showed up. This one was not only getting routine maintenance, but an additional shoulder brace. Both his arms were automail and it was stressing his body to a point where he couldn't walk without pain. They were installing some internal support and giving him a lighter model.

The elderly lady held her pipe between her teeth as she spoke. "After you get your leg, you'll have to move to your room right away. We have another patient coming, we'll be full up."

"Ah Granny, you love causing me grief. And here I was scared that things might have changed," he smiled his usual wide grin. Walking after reconnection was the most painful of all. It subsided after a while, but the pain was intense to get there.

"It's an added bonus. You still get military funding kid, I'm more interested in that," she was always a sarcastic old bat, but he knew she meant well.

It was true, he still got military funding. He was considered a war hero and as a thank you, the state agreed to fund his maintenance for as long as he needed it. The least they could do for him after he helped save their entire country. It may have seemed like so little to offer someone who's given back so much, but that's all that he asked for, comfort.

They watched Pinako leave. Al gave his older brother a pat on the back. "Do you want to talk to Winry before you lay down?" he assumed his brother would lay down after getting his automail back, and Winry would be busy for the rest of the day anyway. "I can keep Aria busy for a while." Al said he eventually would fill her in on everything that happened, now seemed like a good enough time.

"Thanks Al." He was pleased about getting some space to be alone with Winry. Al would occasionally poke fun at his crush on her, making Edward believe that when the time came, Al would be thwarting him at every turn. It seemed that was not the case. "Wait a minute," he turned toward Al with a look of accusation. "You just don't want me to bug you when you start flirting!"

"Is that wrong?" Al had been caught, he did his best to feign but couldn't help snickering.

"You sneak!" he said, giving his sibling a punch in the shoulder.

Alphonse laughed. "I was planning on giving you your space anyway," he stood up when he saw red hair flash in front of the door.

The girls came out and Ed looked directly at Winry. "Ready whenever you are."

"Just let me wash up." Winry had blood on her clothing from the bandages. Nothing like yesterday's mess.

Edward went into the operating room to wait for Winry.

Alphonse tugged Aria off to the side and then slipped quietly out of the hallway, on route to the living room.

As Ed sat in the cold unforgiving chair he let out another groan. '_I didn't think it would work._' Normally when he took painkillers for anything, he would get a 'hazy' feeling when they began to sink in. With these, he felt nothing.

Winry appeared through the door with a large object wrapped in cloth under her arm. "I did the one and a quarter inch height adjustment. I also left room to grow." She held up the leg and flipped it to the back. "This allows the leg to be adjusted an additional two inches. So if you grow-"

"When!"

"...when you grow taller, we can adjust it without having to replace it. That is, if you don't break it first," she said the last part with the insinuation that, if that were to happen, he would be fed to the wolves.

He was still scared of that temper, it was vicious at times. One of her best qualities in his opinion. She wasn't one to mince words. "I won't. I doubt I'll get the chance."

"Does...that mean you're staying home for a while then?" she said, hope was in her voice. She could be such a girl sometimes.

Edward nodded. "We have to build ourselves back up to former glory, then we'll need to make money. The military wants me back when I'm nineteen, so I'll be here a while." When he was nineteen, the military wanted him back for alchemy research.

Winry smiled. "I'm glad." She laid the leg on a nearby table. Turning, she walked right up to Ed and wrapped her arms around him. Since he was sitting on the operating table, his head was on level with her shoulder.

He wrapped his arms around her lower back and held tight, his head rested against her bare shoulder. Now he knew what the books meant by the 'heartbeat'. It was one of those things you never got to feel until you got this close to a lover. No wonder it kept popping up in all those romance novels, it was a very special feeling.

As he held her, something happened. Suddenly, Edward no longer felt like he was his own separate person, and that he and Winry were connected in some profound way. It was on a whole new level and his mind just allowed the feeling to swallow him. Upon opening his eyes, the feeling of 'being swallowed' didn't go away. "I feel like I'm being pulled into you. Its like we're water, flowing in a current."

"That's so beautiful, Ed." she never took him to be the poetic type. Upon further inspecton, she saw him with his palm planted firmly on his forehead. "What's wrong?"

Ed shrugged. "I don't no, know...knowledge, no ledge, foliage."

Winry raised a very confused, concerned eyebrow. "What did you just say?" she was sure her ears weren't lying to her. Ed spoke utter nonsense.

"I don't know." He shut his eyes tightly and lowered his head. With a shake of his head he curled his knuckles against his nose. "What the hell did she give me?"

"The medicine?" Winry grabbedhis wrists to check his pulse. Was he having an adverse reaction to the medication? Aria left a list of side effects that could effect Ed. She took it out. Winry read that it does increase heart rate, nothing serious.

"I'm not sure. My whole body feels...different. I can't put it in words. When I try to, they don't make sense." He held the ledge on edge and teetered on the bed. "Pain to wane with a pill. Instead, in its stead I got a confusing concoction of debilitating dialogue and feeling like a wave of water when I sway. It really takes a tole on the senses. Shouldn't have had a couple pills rather than the correct number, one."

"What!" she was now taking a step back so she could lean on the nearby table. Taking an in depth look at the list she pulled from her pocket, she did see one thing he described, watery feeling. "Doesn't say anything about poetry though," she checked the back to make sure it was blank.

"I mean, I took another pill." He finally managed to gather simple words. "I thought one wouldn't be strong enough."

"Why would you do that?"

"Afraid of the pain," he admitted. "Sorry." His eyes drooped down and were difficult to open fully.

Winry sighed. "Not much we can do about it now, is there? It says if the first one didn't work, it was safe to take another. Just turn this way, we'll get this over with," she reached for his belt. Getting at his leg meant removing the pants first.

He was afraid this part was going to get awkward. On the train ride home he told himself not to worry; it would be a professional setting and business as usual. He said it over and over again in his head, chanting it like a prayer. Low and behold, it had failed. He was a ball of nerves, there was no way he could get the pants off without being red in the face anymore. Freezing up, he went to speak, but to his surprise his pants had already been removed. She did work quickly and efficiently, Ed didn't even notice the transaction. He blamed the medicine.

Winry had turned to the side, picking up the automail. "Unclip the spare for me."

Edward reached down and his fingers fumbled when the attempt at flipping the top off failed. Succeeding on his second stand, he switched it to unlocked and unlatched it from his left leg.

"I'll count you down," she said as she put the prosthetic part in place. The sweet young mechanic prepared to put her childhood pal in, potentially, excruciating pain. "Three, two, one," as the last words left her lips, she flipped the switch. Connecting his nerves to metal was sheer malice.

Ed held his leg in his hands and held his breath in his lungs. The sensation resonated in his knee and sent new notions of interpretation all over his body. None of which were pain. Pressure, pulse, pondering, and patients. Edward sat up, his leg hadn't caused him any pain. Confusion abound, but no pain.

"Are you alright? Did it hurt?"

"No..." he said staring down his leg curiously. To generate a feeling of that calibre from something so unforgettable stunned him to silence.

"Then what's wrong?" Winry wasn't really aware what his brain was enduring at the moment.

She showed concern, which caught Ed off guard. He was sure she'd be cross at his rash decision, but she showed compassion. Was this because she felt pity he had turned so quickly to drowning a pain rather than dulling it or dealing with it? Or maybe it was a more innocent reason, a sign she was showing a change. She was falling for him, hard, so she was treating him with 'kid gloves'. He held on and shook his head. "Nothing. The side effects are slowing me down," Ed rubbed his temples.

"You should tell Aria. There's no harm in taking two, but she did count them. If you took one more, she's going to find out." Fists firmly planted on her hips.

"I'll tell her. Trust is a good thing to take to heart, and it's best not to break either," he said. He really wished he hadn't underestimate the prowess of alchemical hydroponics .

Again, Winry was shocked at the words he spoke. She was sure to mark them down to remind him later.

After informing Aria while still in the hall, she laughed aloud. "Ed, you don't need to worry about it. I'm glad you told me though. What you took was a recreational dose. You'll be fine by supper tonight." She truly was pleased with his honesty.

"Great," he said and paused, "You're saying...people do this to themselves on purpose?" He heard her say 'recreational dose', so he assumed people did this for fun. He wasn't having fun, he was frustrated with his trouble tying sentence structures soundly together.

"Yeah. Your neighbours down the hill grow the plant I needed. They may think those sunflowers hide everything, but I can still see them," she smiled wryly.

"See what?" Al and Winry gave each other confused looks.

"Cannabis. I used the nectar from the flowers and condensed it into a jelly pill. You just took two, right? It'll just take longer to wear off." she got a confused stare from everyone.

Al piped up, "Do you mean 'Big Brow' and his wife, down by the bend?" remembering several patches of sunflowers Resembool.

"I hate calling him that," Winry said. The man had a large bump on his forehead, it was a tumour they couldn't remove. He had it so long they gave him the nick name 'Big Brow'.

"Yeah, them. I asked if I could borrow some nectar while we were out getting sugar last night. Nice people." She and Winry had made cake batter this morning and put it in the oven when they started the bandaging job. It was now finished and the scent wafted into the hall.

"Fooood." Ed hypnotically brushed past them in the hall to raid freshly baked goods.

It was only lunchtime and the solider needing the brace arrived. Al and Aria were left to tend to Edward, who at this point saw it necessary to wander around in the basement. Al blamed the drug in his system, so Aria retreated upstairs. He knew full well what Ed was doing down here.

"They're down here somewhere!" he said frantically looking through box after box. The drug was still pounding away at his brain, he was behaving very manic.

"I'm not taking part in this," Alphonse declared, hands held firmly behind his back.

Ed scowled at him. "You're standing in the way of progress Al, goin' against the man. Keeping me down, come on get over here!" he accused him of treason. Finding a box with 'Winry' written on it, he raised it above his head with an, "Ah-ha! Never mind."

"If you open it, she's going to see the cut marks on the tape." He raised a valid point.

With a catty smirk, Ed flipped the box upside-down. "Not on this side." He took a pen and broke the tape, ripping the rest with his finger. "Even if I don't find a shred of use-able data in this book, I'll stop after this," he comforted Al.

"I'm holding you to that."

"Got it!" Ed lifted a stout novel with a lady in a pretty dress on the front. "This has got to have something decent," he sat on the floor at the discovery point, his feet touched sole to sole as he read. He flipped through the book quickly. "What the?" he closed the book and looked at the top and bottom. "No folds, no bends? Guess she never read this one," he said turning to the first few pages and the flipping to the back cover.

"Then don't bend it on her." He could no longer see his brother, the boxes went too high.

"...oh." he said with a hint of remorse. Rising to his feet he looked to find Al. He was by the stairs, where he'd been the whole time. Ed extended the novel to Al, "Read the back..." and handed it to him.

Al read. The book was about a woman who spirals into insanity as she waits for a dead lover to come back from war. "..." he looked at Edward.

Edward was composed. He was aware Winry worried for them, but not so much that it was driving her crazy. "..." With no more words they repacked the box and went upstairs. Winry had a few more books in that box, but Edward knew exactly what he needed to do when it came to keeping her happy. Stay by her side.

They didn't say a word until after Winry was done with her patient. Supper was great.

Later on, in the early evening, Ed was outside looking up at a dimly lit sky. The sun was just about to go down for the night. "How are you feeling?" Winry said from behind him.

He had long since come down from his 'high' place and was just enjoying the night air. "Pretty good. My leg is aching, but that's more than I could have hoped for."

"That's good. Aria said you enjoyed yourself." she snickered as she sat at his side, a step above.

"No." He huffed. "It made me stupid. I'll use it again if I have to, but I wouldn't go and say I enjoyed it."

"That's your big complaint? It made you stupid. Alcohol does that to people all the time, doesn't stop them from enjoying it," she counter pointed.

"True," he nodded, "It was interesting to say the least, food tasted great, but I couldn't talk straight. I was going to say something to you, but I completely lost myself before I could," he looked behind him. He saw Winry's face, warm and smiling.

"What was it?" she leaned forward, her forehead touched his.

"...I can't remember." he said and trailed off. He looked back into her eyes, still that same pleasant smile was on her face. Whether he talked or not, she still had that smile. It seemed he was right, all he had to do was stay with her. That's what made her happy. He wasn't sure if it was the right moment, so he waited; next chance he got, he swore he was going to kiss her. She was so close he could feel her breath on his cheek.

Winry slid her head to his shoulder and he tilted his head to rest on hers. They sat there, enjoying the moment together. Safe and sound.

* * *

Those of you who read the old story, yes, I did recycle this idea, but I like the new spin on it.  
I tried to include too many cannon characters in the old story, to try and please everyone. I realize now that doing  
that can get confusing and difficult to handle.

I'm going to focus on these guys for the majority of the story.


	5. Chapter 5 Stones and Reeds

I made a mistake...so far no one has called me on it.

Resembool is in the south, Central is closer to the north...gonna have to go back and fix it. That's a biiiig plot hole on my part. Sorry guys. XD

Chapter 4 only needed some name changes but I also touched up the sentence structure.  
Chapter 3 needed a bit of rewording at the beginning. The 'Briggs mountains' bit. If you want to go back and read it, cool, if not all you need to know now is that the fighting isn't taking place in Drachma, it's in Aerugo now. The country to the south. (Really doesn't change the story at all...in fact, I think it may help.)

* * *

_**Chapter 5 - Stones and Reeds**_

* * *

After another successful procedure, Winry tossed her bloodied smock aside. "I bet if I started ringing all these out, I could open a blood bank." It seemed like she was draining the patients dry with how stained her clothes were.

"I doubt it," Aria said, following her out of the operating room, "All the blood is mixed, you wouldn't be able to use it," she thought for a second then continued, "Unless you were giving it to someone with type O blood."

She missed the joke. "I guess. What do you have planned today? Granny wanted me to ask for your help with the bandages later on."

Aria shook her head. "I'm not doing anything later on. I got the boys out looking for some different plants for me, when they get back I need to sort my elements, but other than that, I'm free...oh, and Phyllis," 'Big Brow's' wife, "asked me to pull the weeds from her garden."

"Make sure to leave some for them." Winry joked.

"She wants me to pick them all though." Aria left the kitchen in confusion. She walked back in a few seconds later. "I just got that. Weeds, weed. I'm going now, to do that." She snickered and left again. Aria wasn't good with puns.

Out in the nearby forest, Edward was trying to locate some mushrooms Aria had requested. There were many that looked the same, but Aria had detailed her notes to the point that there was no way they could mess them up. Unless they were careless. But when was Edward ever careless?

"Brother?" Al said loudly.

Ed darted in his direction, through a small patch of under brush. "What?" he saw Al sitting in front of a patch of mushrooms, horrified. They looked familiar.

"She wants these!" Al exclaimed. They were dark red capped, white speckled, baseball sized mushrooms; the same ones they found on Yock Island. The place Izumi sent them for training. He gave the fungus a quizzical expression. "Now why would she want you guys?" After they ate these kind of mushrooms, they were sick all day; sick to the point a strong notion of death hung over them.

Edward shrugged and began plucking them. "She's an alchemist Al, the chances of her using the raw materials for medicine are slim." They picked the whole lot of mature fungus, leaving the juveniles behind.

After a long walk to an old swamp, they found another kind of mushroom, a black capped mushroom. Aria's note said to be careful handling it, it was deadly. Fifty precent of the deaths that were caused by mushrooms, came from this little guy. "Why would she need this one?" Al asked again. It was small and flimsy, with a greenish brown cap.

Ed looked at the flash cards she sent out. "Paralysis?" he read one of the side effects. "Maybe it can be a tranquillizer."

Alphonse cringed as he carefully picked one up and placed it in a brown bag. She only asked for one. "There..." he said. Folding the bag and labelling it, he then tossed it in the large basket with the others. Some were for eating, but most were for medicine.

After word got out about Aria's abilities, people had called from around town to ask for some. It looked like Aria would slowly put the pharmaceutical companies out of business; not literally, but they would soon be losing a lot of business in Resembool. It had only been a few days since she arrived and already she had people running errands for her. It was no wonder her and Winry hit it off well. They were business women.

The last thing they needed to look for was a reed. "The only river that could have this...is the one on the hill." Al pointed out.

"Let's go." He walked in front of Al, still on the look out for a particular orchid, pink in colour. It was one of many flowers they needed to pick up.

Reaching the top of the hill where the head water was, Edward looked from side to side. "When we're done loking, we'll just follow the flow down on the way home," he said and looked back to find Alphonse.

He had his hands on his knees, breathing was heavy. "Great. I'm starting to get hungry,"

Ed jumped up on a rock near the top of the river to get a better view. This river was fed by a larger river, and there was a delta at the cusp of the hill. The reed was depicted with a long thin stem and small circular leaves, all the same size, that travelled to it's tip. "It says here that it's most easily found at freshwater deltas. This is the delta..." He looked side to side again, nothing.

Al checked around the shore. "Is this it?" he said, holding up a plant.

Edward squinted at it. "It's the wrong colour."

"This one?" he held up another.

"No, the leaves change size."

There was a long pause. "Hey, brother," he declared, pointing to something else.

"That's a flower, Al," he was unamused. "Wait," he peeked at his cards. "Oh, the orchid." He felt dumb.

It was a beautiful flower. "Wow. I've never seen this before," Alphonse looked at it with wonder.

"Me either." Ed knelt down to look at it and noticed he needed to tie his boot. They were new and kept coming undone. He had to throw his old boots out; they had given him many good years, but they had become too small. Edward had no problem putting them away for that reason.

Alphonse picked and held the flower delicately. "There's only one of them." With a bulb that was formed with two petals, it was hollow, mostly. At the top was what looked like a tongue sticking out, same magenta color. It had one green leaf that fed up the stem and stopped with a point at the top of the bulb.

Ed hopped down. "It's nice. Seriously, no more?," he dismissed it and and walked off down off the rock. "Come on, one more left after the reed. It may be further down." The brothers hiked down the slope once again, every so often they checking for the reed on the shore of the rapidly flowing river. Nearing the halfway mark, Ed spotted something that looked like the one they needed. "Hold on, I see something."

"Be careful," Al said.

Ed knelt down and leaned his arm into the water. "Ahhh, it's so cold," he leaned in a little further, submerging his t-shirt sleeve. "Here," he said, grabbing a handful of reeds. They had strong roots; they needed to be strong enough to hold on through the current. Just as requested, long stem, solid colour and single sized leaves. "One more," he reached in once again and pulled at the plants, tangling his fingers in them to grab many. "They're slimy! Why does she need these?"

What he hadn't realized was that the cluster of reeds he held was growing on a large rock beneath the surface of the water. When Ed pulled too hard, the rock dislodged and fell. The reeds wrapped around his fingers helped to snatch him away into the cold, swift current.

"Brother!" Alphonse jumped up on the rock Ed was on and looked for him. He was downstream about twenty feet, clinging desperately to a rock. It only took a matter of seconds; mother nature was a harsh mistress.

"Go get help!" he yelled, trying to hang on, water kept gushing into his mouth as he spoke.

"I'll get you out!" Al jumped from the rock Ed stood on to one that was only a few feet away. It led him over to the other side of the river.

"The current is too strong, you can't pull me out!" Ed's grip was slipping.

"No time!" Al reached out his hand.

Ed hesitantly grabbed on and nearly brought Alphonse down with him. The rush of the water was so strong it pulled him down further, making Al fall flat to his chest. He began to slid against the rock but hooked his feet over the back edge to anchor himself. "You're too heavy!" he said, toes slipping.

"Al, let me go. I'll be fine. I'll just ride the current downstream." His forehead began to bleed down over his eye. Edward had hit his head on the way in.

"You'll sink!" he yelled.

"At first. Just let go," he sounded certain, it seemed he had a plan.

"Damn you, brother! Don't drown!" Alphonse was helpless, his atrophy was too sever; if he jumped in, there was no way he would survive. He let go and Ed immediately went beneath the surface. "..." Al hurried and followed the current to where he thought Ed would come up.

As promised, Ed appeared on top of the water only a few feet ahead of him. He had touched the bottom of the river and launched himself to the surface. His body slammed against the rock hard, knocking the wind out of him and bruising a few ribs. He gasped for air.

Without hesitation Alphonse went to his brother's side and pulled him out of the water. The large stones were put in place to stop soil erosion, but today they acted as a saving grace. "You alright, brother? You're lucky to be alive." Al was winded from the exertion of helping Ed up.

"No I'm not." he said, quite certain of himself.

"Huh?" he looked at the point Ed was drawing attention to. A deflated pant leg. "You lost it?" He figured that when Ed went below the water, it was to detach the leg weighing him down. "...I would have cut my loses in the water. She's going to skin you alive." Al was relieved, but now scared for another reason.

"I'm sure it'll wash up in the delta." Ed was determined to get it back before he went home. "Kill two birds with one stone, get the leg and the seaweed." With a short look through the brush, Al emerged with a stick, thick enough to support Ed's weight. He would have helped him walk, but he was incapable of doing so. At least, not all the way home.

After talking with the fishermen catching salmon at the mouth of the river, he enquired about his leg. "That one?" The older man hooked his thumb over his shoulder, showing a picture of a fisherman holding up the led by the heel, as if it were a game fish.

"Funny." Ed told them, but he was frustrated. That was his leg, not a joke. He did luck out though, the type of seaweed Aria called for was stuck to one of their nets.

Al looked at the leg in his arms as they walked up the driveway to the house. "So...when are you going to put it back on," he asked.

"...Tomorrow. Winry's order comes in and I can take a regular pain killer. Not one that makes me feel..." He wobbled his hands in an odd manner.

Not being able to hold it, he began laughing. "Like jelly!" he referenced a quote from yesterday after Ed had taken the medicine.

"Shut up, Al!" he spoke in his stern, comedic fashion. There was a few moments of silence then Al started laughing quietly to himself. "I can still hear you," he said, giving his younger sibling a sideways glare.

Al contained his chortling, "Sorry, brother. It was just nice to see you lighten up. You're always so..."

"Tense?"

He snapped his finger at him. "Yeah. It's not healthy to be so tense all the time. Just take it easy."

"..." he looked his brother straight in the face. "Funny, Aria said something similar to me...so...you have a crush on her?"

Al shook his head. "It's nothing like that!"

"You're quoting her. Must mean something." he had a devilish smile.

"I just heard her say it." Al was just as sceptical of the medicine as Ed in the beginning, but now he was defending it wholeheartedly?"But if you're going to ask Winry for medicine, make sure you do it today, she only had a few left."

He admired Al's way of avoiding confrontation by gently nudging the conversation back on topic. They walked in silence up the stairs. Ed reached for the handle then paused before turning it. "Let me see the leg," Ed held out his free hand.

Al showed it to him. "Is a part missing?"

He looked it over carefully. "Just making sure there isn't..." he said, checking the parts. They looked intact, a little scuffed up, a few dents, but still all there.

"Ready?" he asked.

"No," he turned the door and entered the house. Ed was confident that Winry wouldn't bash in his head when she found out what happened, and why. After a carefully rehearsed explanation, he still wound up with a spanner to the head. Not nearly as hard as she use to though.

"I just built that and you're jumping in the river?"

"I told you I slipped! I was getting those damn plants!" he said. Edward handed the basked to Aria who was walking by, making her stagger from the force behind the basket. He hobbled off with a makeshift cane.

Winry looked hurt, she had overreacted.

"You shouldn't have been so hard on him. I did ask the boys to go get it for me," she said as she held what now felt like 'ill gotten games'. "Go apologize." Aria looked upset.

She hesitated. "You're right," she said and walked into the kitchen to find Edward.

Aria looked back at Alphonse. "You want to help me sort all this?" She needed to take the parts of the plants she needed and was to carefully dispose of the rest.

When Aria took her medicine course, then made some money, she took a few more classes. She was also skilled at making poisons, and even soap. She didn't necessarily need to learn how to make the poison, the class also taught her to aid someone who's been poisoned. But these would be used for making a potent rat poison. Even the 'garbage' materials could be useful.

They took a seat at the table in the back room and she picked up the first bag, marked A. Phalloides. "Perfect." She gingerly laid it on a pre-made transmutation circle and activated it, condensing the mushroom's poison it into a small cube. Picking it up with tweezers, she placed it in a glass bottle and it's remnants went in a garbage pail. "Next one..." She removed the deep red mushroom with the spots from the bag.

"Brother and I ate these before. It made us really sick all day."

Aria was shocked. She looked at him with utter disbelief. "What exactly did the mushroom look like?" she asked as she puled out her notebook.

Alphonse thought hard. "They looked like these," he said, noting that at the beginning of their trip that many mushrooms looked the same.

"What were your symptoms. Fever, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, dizziness, hallucinations, over activity?" Aria scribbled down an image of the mushroom in question and showed it to him.

"All of the above...that's it" he said pointing to the picture. He shivered as he remembered the moment when the mushroom took hold. "Something good did come out of it. When brother and I went to bed that night he had a revelation. He discovered the meaning of 'one is all, all is one'." Aria was writing notes as he spoke. "The next morning we talked about it, he said that when he looked at the ant on his finger, he held it up to the light of the moon. Then he felt like there was no difference between him and the earth, like he and everything around him was all part of a big gushing stream. That everything was the same."

Aria knew not to question the story. "That'll happen. Mushrooms have been used in meditation for as long as history has been written," she said and finished her note. Aria folded the book and laid it aside. "They're brewed into tea, baked into food and eaten directly. People uaually vomit shortly after eating recreational mushrooms, but the 'drunk' feeling sticks around for a while. Sounds like that's what happened to you two. Where was this?"

"Yock Island."

She brightened. "That's not too far away..." she thought hard. "Can we go there before winter?"

"Why? You have some here." He pointed to the white flecked red cap.

"These aren't the ones you ate." She examined one closer. "...no, these look close but they're are edible. They're going in dinner tonight. See the difference here, the cap is nearly brown, the one you're talking about has bright red or orange in it."

"That's right, colour is everything for mushrooms." He looked at the calendar.

"Colour, size, smell, location and season." She listed off the most important guidelines for mushroom hunting.

"The red ones we had smelled like-"

"Wood," she finished the sentence for him. "I'm right? Then they are the ones I'm looking for."

Al nodded. "Construction should be done in a couple months, I can get us a trip down there then."

"Yea!" she cheered.

"What are they used for?" He handed her another bag, that other one was for lunch.

Aria shyly smiled. "Recreation. They're rare and fetch a high price." Due to their elusiveness, the government hadn't put any laws against using them. Aria also had the ability to alter its composition so it didn't make anyone sick. "Oh, did you find that orchid?"

Al nodded and lifted a paper bag that had fallen over it. "There was only one up there. Sorry."

Aria shook her head. "Don't be. I can make seeds from this one and replant some more."

She really did know her stuff when it came to plants and medicine. "What's that used for."

"Decoration. They're so pretty! They only grow here in warm southern climates," she said, admiring the flower from all angles. "The mushrooms here are cute too." She held one up next to the flower. "Maybe I can use one for decoration."

Aria reminded him of Winry for a moment. Not in sense that she was commanding, rather, in how she was so passionate about her trade, but still managed to act so feminine about it. Flowers were indeed feminin, but leave it up to her to find a deadly mushroom cute. He thought she was cute too. He snapped to.

"Al?" she said again, he didn't hear her the first time. "Thank you. Seems Ed got the short end of the stick on your trip, though."

"He'll be fine..." Al looked at the kitchen door. Silence.

Aria realized that it was quiet too. "I'm gonna go peek..." she said, crawling on all fours to the kitchen door.

When Ed stormed into the kitchen Winry was quick to follow behind. "Ed, I'm sorry. You just got back and now you're putting yourself in danger again. I just got so mad," she tried to look for more words, but none came out. She had wanted to entice Edward since he arrived back in Resembool, but she felt like she took a big leap in the wrong direction.

Ed relaxed, just as his little brother suggested. "Don't worry about it." He was grabbing a dry shirt from a pile of laundry that needed to be put away. "I kind of look at your aggression as a form of affection." He put on another t-shirt.

She blushed, hard. "You do?"

He nodded. "Yeah. You don't have any other way to show it, so you swing those damn tools around." He did his best to keep cool, it seemed to be working.

"I have other ways of showing it," she said trying to gather some ideas. "I bake...I...fix your leg."

"After you swing a wrench at me," he made sure she was going to accept that aspect.

She sighed. "Um," and thought harder.

Ed laughed. "Not so easy when you have to say it out loud," now he was being cocky. He ran the water in the kitchen sink and splashed it on his face.

Winry handed him a towel. "I do laundry." She got another one and finally had the nerve to say, "When do you show affection?"

He blotted his face. "Me?" he gave it a moment to process, this relaxing thing was going well. Normally he would yell. Coming to a peaceful conclusion, he laid the towel down and turned to face her. Edward stood in front of her, his breathing steady, his stare straight. He had vowed that the next time he got her alone, he would kiss her. But diving in and doing it was too gauche, he needed to wait for the right moment. "I show it by making a two day trip out of the way, to get my automail from you. I show it by doing my own daily maintenance, as you requested. And when I break it, I come to you to get it fixed. I could have gone to someone in Central and get it done by someone who won't huck large chunk of metal at my head." He didn't sound like he was attacking her, but he did want to show he cared about her. In spite of the violence.

She looked defeated. "I guess you felt that way for a while then. I'm sorry." she played with a strand of her own hair.

He could tell she was upset from him pointing out how agressive she'd been toward him, "Yet, I still came back," he reassured her. Edward reached his arms around her, pulling her closer, yet not too close.

Winry looked down and tugged at the hem of his shirt, just a couple fingers held it. The moment was drawing near, he could feel it. Winry's chest nearly touched him. She looked up into his eyes.

Breathing deep one last time, he reached his hands to her hips and leaned in. He could see her face become scared but aching with anticipation. She had been wanting this for so long. Their lips touched lightly, almost as if to test to see if the other was too hot to touch. The second glance, theie lips pressed against one another. Slowly, romantically, her was like nothing he had felt before. Her body fit perfectly into his. His arms travelled up and down her back, feeling her curves.

She touched his cheeks, they were warm and soft, then moved them to the back of his neck, sure to not let go.

Aria backed up from the door. "Hehe," she giggled.

"What's going on?" he leaned forward from the table.

"He kissed her!" Aria was ecstatic, waving her tightly clenched fists in front of her. The thought of new love made her want to squeal with joy, but she digressed. "Don't say anything, act normal." Aria went back to the rug to finish her work, Al kept her company.

In the kitchen Winry helped Ed sit down. She gave him one last kiss. "So, your shipment is coming in tomorrow?" He wanted to get his leg back on soon.

"No," she answered, "After Aria made me that medicine, the patients didn't want to go back. I cancelled the order."

Ed sat there in disbelief.

"Sorry. I saved so much money though."

"What about the ones you had left over?" he searched for an alternative.

She turned her head away from him, not wanting to see the disappointment in his face. "I gave them to the neighbours." Edward's head hung low. "I'm sorry again. I wasn't expecting you to fall in the river today."

"Me either," he lounged back on the kitchen chair. "Oh well, where's the 'jelly medicine'."

Winry snickered, he apparently did remember some things from yesterday. "Aria? Where did you put Ed's medicine."

"Oh, it's mine now..." He sounded 'pleased'.

"They're in the cupboard on the far right." she yelled from the other room.

"It's just this one last time. Try to be careful from here on out," she said, retriving the pills from the shelf. They had hardened and were smaller now. She had them lined on wax paper, for they would stick together if she didn't. She passed them to Ed.

"I will, thanks."

"Having another go at it Ed?" Aria said as she walked into the kitchen; acting totally normal.

He rubbed the corners of his eyes. "Not that I want to."

Winry gave him a pat on the back and brushed her hand across both shoulders as she walked by. "I'm going to hammer the dents out of your leg, I'll be back."

Aria snickered.

"I'm glad _you_ find this funny." He pulled two pills off the wax paper.

She gave him a catty smirk as he popped two jell pills. "I'm not smirking because you have to take these again," she got closer to his ear, "I saw that kiss," she whispered then giggled.

Ed's cheeks went red.

* * *

If you guys want to see Ed buzz around like a tool, say so. I skipped it last time because I didn't think it would be received well. But now that I know some of you think it's funny, I'll post it. I've got some hella funny stories of my own to line the chapter with, so it'll be a good read. Of course, it will be lined wit 'fluff' too. (Ed could use a massage, don't you think?)

If not, I'll just 'skip the stone' and move on with the plot. (hehe, pun.)

Let me know, it's up to you.


	6. Chapter 6 Learning to Love

Alright, one of you said no and one of you said yes and one of you said Al needs love.  
...hmm. I'll go with this for now and see how it feels.

I won't be going back to this 'state of mind' for Ed for a while, so get a kick out of it while you can. :)

* * *

_**Chapter 6 Learning to Love**_

* * *

Once again, he was getting the automail attached; the chemicals ran through his veins. His body pulsed and his head spun; a dangerous combination for someone who couldn't feel one of the extremities used to walk. Winry placed a hand on the latch, "Just like before, three, two one-" and flipped the switch. It sent those confusing mixed messages through Ed whole body. He cringed. "How is it this time?" she asked, helping him to his feet almost right away.

"Feels...like when a limb falls asleep, a pins and needles sensation," he said, describing the pain. It seemed that Ed was in more control this time. He knew what to expect from the medicine, so he wasn't as 'caught off guard'. He promised himself that he would keep an inner monologue for the things he found interesting. Rather, he would try.

"Alright, go lay down. I'll call you when supper is done."

He got up and carefully laid his feet in a path to the door. Teetering at first, then straightening out.

Winry polished her wrench with a cloth and laid it aside. It was time to cook. Granny ended up not needing either her or Aria's help; the patient had healed rather quickly, needing only a few bandages changed. Aria took credit for some of it, the medicine she made didn't slow down his recovery any. He was scheduled to go back on the field soon (the man who needed repairs originally).

Making supper that night was up to her and Aria. She suggested spaghetti, Aria was determined to make stew. "I had it the first night I came and only got one bowl," she complained, "I want more," she said with hunger in her voice, hands clasped in traditional 'beggar' fashion.

"Fine. You're cutting the meat," for she had her fill of blood for a very long time. Unless there were any emergencies, they would be on stand-by for a while. "Did you see where Ed went? He came through here right before me."

Referencing the living room with a spatula she laughed. "His nose is sharp. Al opened a bar of chocolate a while ago and Ed could smell it the second he came in the kitchen."

Winry looked around, "Did he leave it somewhere," checking the table.

"It was gone before either of you finished. He wasn't pleased. He complained about him now giving him a piece." She dried her arms and drained the sink to go relax with everyone in the living room. Al was reading on the couch, Winry was sitting next to him.

Edward was on his stomach on the area rug, pawing through an alchemy book of Aria's. "I miss it..." he sounded forlorn. "This..." he brought the book right up to his nose. "...it looks like it's coming off the page." He rubbed the paper, the symbols within the transmutation circle seemed to jump off the page.

"Your senses are heightened." Aria said, leaning do to see what part of her text he was reading. "Edges look more defined, right?"

"They are...but you made a mistake." He held the book up to her.

On the last page was a half finished circle. It had it's outer ring, but the markings within it seemed to be lacking. "Oh, that. I was never able to figure out a solution to it."

"What is it you're trying to do?" He shut his eyes to listen.

Aria began an explanation of the elements behind the project. Ed seemed to be the only one in the room who didn't have enormous or unknown words whipping around his head. She got across to everyone that she was attempting a very unstable bond. "-and after that, this is what I came up with. I get a finished product, but it degrades four times than normal. It falls apart in the end."

"Try this." Ed grabbed the nearest pencil and her book back then began to scribble on her work.

Aria's nerves snapped and her eyes grew wide at the sight of Edward defacing her research. That feeling of anxiousness depleted when he presented _his _finished product to her. She looked over the work and did the calculations in her head. "So when you align the-" and she proceeded to go into another whirlwind of words that swirled on by Winry and Alphonse.

Edward backed her up. "Exactly. Never have the-" and he continued to talk to her.

Winry leaned in Alphonse's direction and whispered, "You getting any of this?"

"Well, they're speaking English, that much I know. Beyond that, no. I was going to chalk it up to the meds, but Aria's following pretty easily." They shrugged.

"Perfect. Thank you Ed. I've been working on that for a while." Aria looked all over the page in amazement.

"Okay, I've got to ask. How did you figure that out?" Al tried to wrap his brain around what had happened.

Edward looked worried, he mistook Al's question as aggression. "I just saw it."

Aria tapped the inebriated one in the head. "Actually, the medication he took may be the answer."

Ed was lost. "What now?"

"I thought it slowed him down." Winry mentioned.

"So slow." He swayed back and forth, rocking himself in a cross-legged position.

The red head nodded. "For some it does. That's the reason it's mainly only used for medicine. Cannabis has many potential side effects that occur, and they depend on the person using it, their state of mind and their setting. Someone as smart as Edward-" she looked to him and he fell over backwards, "-Uh...his mind is amplified when he uses it. It makes your mind think in ways that someone who's never done it would." She pointed at Winry. "You said he was talking nonsense when he was getting his automail?"

"That's right," she bent down and sat Edward back up, only to push a little too hard and knocked him over forward.

He landed on his face, "I'm okay; didn't hurt." he sat up and began listening again.

She snickered. "It makes connections in your mind that you didn't think of before. Like how he went from the word 'no' to 'foliage' in seconds. People who don't understand the mind set just get lost listening to him."

Edward was now looking through his bangs at everyone, squinting one eye shut. "Never realized how shiny my hair was. Look at that." He tilted his head in such a way that it reflected the light. "See? I can see through it!"

Supper was a fun experience. "My food looks like I'm eating diamonds." He said, referring to the oil in the fat of the meat rising to the top. It shimmered with the kitchen light. Picking up the soup on the spoon, only pour back in the bowl, he repeated this a few times; his head rested on the table to get a different angle. It was mainly the surface tension that was so intriguing. "It should spill, but it doesn't."

"What did you say you gave him?" Pinako looked on with curiosity, not being able to _not_ take joy from watching him.

Surprisingly enough, conversation was regular aside from Edward's tangents. They had all promised Ed not to draw attention to his peculiar behaviour. He stayed pleasant the whole time.

Later on he decided it was time to explore outside, he was coming down and needed some activity to avoid his leg from getting stiff. "I gotta' run," he said excitedly to Winry who merely extended a hand, presenting the grass. He stretched out his legs and took off into the tall wheat. His blond hair nearly disappeared in the hue of the grass. When he was running, it didn't quite feel the same. It felt as though he moved the ground beneath him and the grass was just sliding around him. It felt significant as apposed to scratchy.

It was beginning to get darker, the sun would set completely soon. After Winry felt he had a good sprint, she took off after him.

Edward heard he approach and ducked down and aimed for a pounce.

"Hey!" She looked around. "Come on Ed, don't play games." She heard the grass rustle behind her. Whipping around to catch him, she saw nothing. "Have it your way!" with that, she ducked and listened for his footsteps. She thought she heard something and began to walk slowly toward it. Moving a patch of tall grass to the side, she saw a rabbit, protecting its den. It thumped its feet. "Shhhh."

"HA!" Ed grabbed her around the waist and pulled her off her feet and swung her around once.

She let out a startled scream. When Ed was done making her his rag doll, he let her go to her feet. He flopped backward and flattened the grass in his stead, laughing all the while. "I never heard you scream like that before!" he chortled.

"You're a jerk," she said, defeated, and laid next to him.

"Point of advice, when you're trying to sneak, don't say," he held a finger to his lips, "SHHH, so loudly."

"Shh," she said quietly and leaned over, giving him a kiss. They were indeed silent; with the exception for a few soft murmurers. The grass was the best place to avoid being snooped on. They stayed there for a while.

"Winry," he broke the embrace, "We're being watched," he pointed to the side. That rabbit Winry ran into was peering through the amber wheat.

"Let him," she laughed and they continued the intimate encounter.

At the house, things were quiet. Al and Aria sat on the couch as she went over her notes with him. Alphonse still wanted to pursue alchemy, and this was one section of alchemy he hadn't thought of looking into. He could still preform alchemy with a circle, the 'clapping transmutation' was no longer an option.

"I'm sure if we had the soil content we could do it," she said, tapping the pen but on the book. Looking beside her, she saw Alphonse draw a circle with nothing more than plain sight. "I still need a guide." She knelt on the cushion and leaned over to look at it from above. "It is perfect."

"I had lots of practice," he looked over and saw clear down her dress. He abruptly looked away, red cheeked.

"Something wrong?"

He tugged at the neckline of his shirt. "Your..."

Aria looked down and realized what had happened; she had knelt on her dress and pulled it down in the front. She sat down, adjusting her dress; tugging it down in the back lifted it in the front. The spiked green pattern around the neckline covered up to four fingers below her collar bone. "Not that there's much to see." She broke the awkward silence.

"Don't say that, you look fine." He bashfully turned back to his work. "Aria?" he exhaled deeply.

"Huh?" she saw the tension building in his face.

On the other side of the house Pinako rushed down the hallway and back again, making enough noise for them to hear. It sounded like she pulled something big from the closet, it had a squeaky wheel and it made the whole floor rumble. "One of you get in here! Hurry!"

They both jumped up and followed Pinako into the patient room. The newest patient was suffering a heart failure. "What happened?" He had been doing so well, it was strange for him to be this bad.

He was having a heart attack.

"I don't know! We have to give him a shock." She held the paddles together and rubbed the jelly around. "Can you work the machine?"

Aria rushed. "Yes," she said and adjusted the dial. Winry had briefed her on the the basic uses of the medical equipment, so if she were unavailable someone else could help Pinako. She was scared, thinking she gave the patient something he was allergic to. Reading over his file didn't suggest there was any worry.

"Clear!" Pinako declared and place the paddles, below the collar bone on the right and the lower left part of his rib cage. She gave the man a jolt. His whole body convulsed with an exaggerated jump. "Again! Clear!" The erratic beeping from his monitor recessed into low pitch 'boop-boop'.

Aria's felt she would soon need that machine for herself. "What could have gone wrong?" She stood next to Al now, he held her arms near the shoulder.

Pinako went to the man's side. "Can you respond?" He nodded. "What happened before you started to crash?" The man groggily reached beneath his hip, emerging with a flask.

"You can't drink when you take medicine!" She was fuming and knocked Al's hands away when she stomped up to the side of the patients bed. Her nails dug into her palms.

"It was an herbal remedy, I didn't think it would matter," he said, obviously intoxicated.

She pulled his ear and twisted it as if he could feel it. "Just because it's a natural medicine doesn't mean it's any different from any other form of medicine," she let go. "Where do you think they get the materials to make that store bought stuff? Outside! Now don't belittle my profession and give me that!" she ripped it out of his hand so fast he almost needed automail fingers. With that she threw the whole thing in the trash.

Al had never seen her so angry. "Calm down, he didn't know,"

She folded her arms, tapping her foot. "He did! i told him right before he took it! No cigarettes, no booze and no outside medicine because-"

"Cuz' you don't know what reaction will happen," he flapped his hand at her like a blabbing mouth.

"Yeah! Now your heart is seizing!"

He looked scared. "I'm gonna be okay right? Your reputation is on the line here, not mine."

She nodded. "And if you live, yours is." She raised a valid point, who's stupid enough to go against the advise of a trained professional? "You'll be fine, you're here with people who know what's best for you. I suggest you start listening to them. It's a miscommunication in your brain, not an organ failure. You've confused-" his heart began to convulse again. "-your brain with conflicting chemicals." She held up hand to Pinako.

The elderly lady looked at the heart metre, it was dropping. "I hope there's a reason for this?"

"Aria?" Al was biting his knuckles.

"Just wait," she watched it. Her lips counted silently. When she reached seven, the mans heart returned to normal. "They're just palpitations, using the crash cart is only going to bruise his heart. Keep an eye on him overnight. If he goes past twelve seconds, get the cart ready, at fifteen zap him. When the alcohol cycles through, he'll be back to normal."

"If you're certain," She hopped down from her stepping stool. "Go take a rest, I can see your heart's pounding now."

Pinako had a good eye, Aria's face had a bright flush of red. Not from embarrassment, but from anger. She turned and walked silently out the door.

"See if you can cheer her up, this is her first 'in care' patient." Pinako said. After Aria showed up and introduced herself Pinako's first reaction was to get her credentials. 'Top of her class' sounded just as good over the phone as it looked on paper.

Al snapped out of his daze. He had been stunned by Aria's reaction; she had always been so mellow, to see her flip out like that was rather shocking. The living room was quiet, Aria stood cross-armed at the window, a finger tapping her elbow. "You alright?" Not sure if she was the type to protect her anger at others, he approached with caution.

The back of her hand rubbed tears from her eyes. "It's so frustrating. Why don't people think my medicine is real? People in my village believed in it, and it worked well. But then I leave and all I get is criticism and doubt. It...makes me so mad."

Giving it time to process, he spoke up. "Its not your fault people don't understand, don't let it get you down."

She turned to face him. "That's not the main problem I'm having. I have the ability to give people good medicine, but they don't believe me when I say it's effective. They could seriously injure themselves and it'll feel like my fault for even making it in the first place. I know I do my part well, but I can't control what others do. I feel like no matter how careful I am or how much I educated them on my practice, few ever take me seriously."

Al chuckled. "He believes you now I bet."

She nodded. "Yeah, but look at what it took? What if the next person kills themselves? Some remedies I know will make your liver shut down if taken with alcohol. Even a small amount."

Since arriving home, Al's been put in line to answer questions that he felt he really had no business answering. First about his brother's pain and now this. "I don't know what to say. What comes to mind though is...if you do your job to the best of your ability, then don't worry. Everyone's in control of what they do. What they do to themselves is their problem. You've given them sufficient tools, it's up to them to actually use them. Imagine the people who you'd let down if you didn't try at all."

They stood in near silence; clock ticking away, breeze blowing by the window, Den scratching his ear, all the sounds except for speech. Nearly silent footsteps for a moment, and then back to the inanimate stock noises. "I know," she said giving him a peck on the cheek and a hug all at once.

He blushed. "I guess this means you were mad at brother then." He held her slender frame in his arms, she was extremely warm; or maybe he was just cold.

She shook her head. "No...maybe a bit. He just thought it wasn't strong enough, he didn't think it was fake."

"I tried to convince him otherwise."

"You're sweet Al." She smiled and squeezed him tightly. "Besides, Ed's been through a lot with his automail. I did say it was a weaker medicine, so I guess I put the notion in his head that it wasn't effective."

His cheek rested nicely on the side of her head. This was the first time they had been so close; or was it? Something clicked within him.

* * *

_After explaining their journey, Alphonse affixed his helmet. "And that's what happened. We're going to find the philosopher's stone and get our bodies back." He and Aria sat in her 'garden room', the lights were bright._

"_That's so tragic...I wish I could help." She was stunned, it felt like some kind of fantasy. Hollow armour._

"_You did. It's a long road we're on, rest is essential."_

_Aria stood up and threw her arms around Alphonse. "Alright. If either of you need anything, come ask. I hope you succeed, you deserve to feel this hug."_

_

* * *

_

"It is nice to be able to feel it this time," he said with a smile.

She blushed. "I thought you didn't remember."

"It just came to me," he separated and looked at her, "The emotion felt familiar. I guess you did end up helping both in the end after all."

"I'm happy to-" Before she knew it, Al had kissed her; though this one, wasn't on the cheek.

* * *

There you have it. I promise to keep Ed good and sober...for a while. The next stuff I have planned kind of draws away from humor.

Oh, don't give me that look, a story is nothing about plot. :) Sorry for the rush job, this is my last time with the computer for a week and it's midnight...eh.

Make sure to leave lots of reviews so I know what you think! I adhere to what you guys say. Tell me what you want! XD  
I need the challenge!


	7. Chapter 7  You and I

Psycology is a strong point of mine, so there's going to be an explaination at the end of the chapter. Be sure to read it if you disagree with anything you read here.  
I'm covering my behind on this one.

* * *

_**Chapter 7 - You and I**_

* * *

"I doubt I've slept that good in years," Edward said as he stretched, ready to sit down to breakfast. He was feeling great.

Winry gave him a kiss on the way by to the kitchen. She was going to be a bit busy today. A last minute patient of theirs needed a new part and she was up half the night melting metal and measuring the internal workings. She hated last minute patients, they never let her sleep. She was determined to nap after she was done. Several tune ups and part replacements later she retreated to the living room for a nap.

_Edward finally managed to get her alone. She was cornered between her door and a linen closet. "I want more," he said and kissed her deeply._

_"What?" she said in confusion, breaking their kiss._

_He paused, and grabbed her by the scruff to push him into the bedroom. "Enough is enough," he followed her and slammed the door behind them._

_Winry stood her ground. Did that kiss send him over the edge? "Uh, Ed?"_

_He laughed. "This is a joke..."_

_She sighed, placing a hand over her face. "Don't do that." Looking through her fingers, Ed unbuttoning her top. "Wait a minute...this isn't a joke," she said, too shaken to stop him._

_"No?" he ignored her distress and tossed the blouse aside; breasts were perky beneath her tube top._

_"I, just...okay," she said going along with whatever it was that was happening. His hands were exploring places unknown. Her body was at his mercy._

_"Undo my belt," he demanded, not violent, but firm. His tone instilled control and she obliged. He pushed down on her shoulder._

_Her knees hit the hardwood floor, hard. "Ed, my knees, don't push me down."_

When Winry's knees dropped to the hardwood, they did so in reality too. She had rolled off the chair she called bed, landing hard on one knee. Gripping the knee in pain, she wiped the sleep from her eyes with the other. She lifted herself up from the floor and onto the chair. Finally getting a minute she surveyed the room, she was not alone. Edward and Alphonse were both there.

"Excuse me?" Ed asked, embarrassed. He had a look that was similar to that of someone who had just watched a horror movie; not able to believe what happened.

"I fell," she grabbed her messy hair and tied it back.

Ed and Al shot each other a look. "I'm not involved," Al said and bailed.

"I know that...I meant, what you said?"

Winry was still in sleep mode. "What are you talking about? I was asleep," she asked, becoming frustrated. It was too soon after waking up to understand English.

"You told me not to push you...down to your knees," he had then realized she was talking in her sleep, and at that moment, so did she.

Frantic, she stood up and shook her head. "I don't know what you're talking about! I'm need to get a shower, gotta' change bandages later, have to wash all this oil off (what oil?). Can't risk infection." With haste in her voice and step, she left the room, leaving Ed to wonder. She knew that everyone in that room understood what she had said. There was no way it was going to be taken out of context. She mentally kicked herself for not napping in her room.

When she and Ed first agreed to be a couple, the understanding was that 'taking it slow' was what they both wanted. Upon further soul searching, she realized that may not have been totally true. She shut the bathroom door behind her and rested against it. Last night was when she realized that. When they were making out in the grass, Edward had gotten more 'excited' than intended. It was embarassing for him, but she didn't mind, to her it meant he wanted her as badly as she wanted him. She was supportive and told him to ignore it. Though she couldn't, she said she would. Each time her body laid on his, she noticed it. When she thought back to that moment, her hips became ridged and a 'tight pressure' resonated from a very sensitive area.

Finally fully awake, she stipped down. Grabbing the shower head, that someone forgot to hang back up, she turned the water on to a steamy temperature. The nozzle was removable, for patients who couldn't stand. They would sit in a chair and be able to bathe on their own. The water shot out of the end in a hard spray, the massage setting. She raised an eyebrow.

Towel wrapped around her body and one in her hair, she opened the bathroom door and walked out; she had a pleased expression that Ed couldn't help but draw attention to. "Why are you in such a good mood?" he asked suspiciously, looking her over.

"Nothing," she said, smirking.

They passed one another and Ed looked around the bathroom for something, anything.

"I didn't do anything to the bathroom, Ed," she said. Rounding the corner to go change, she disappeared.

Edward couldn't help but think about her, last night really got to him. They had only kissed and he got 'that' out of control. It was intense, like nothing he had felt before. It was close to pain, more of a dull ache, but pleasant no less. Her hips kept brushing up against him, what was he to do? And with that amazing body of hers, it was no wonder. He had feelings for her before, but now he wanted to act on them. '_So much for waiting._'

Meanwhile, Winry was dressed in her smock and ready to change more bandages. Aria had beaten her there and was in the process of changing them already. The man with the new leg was still there, but he would be moved today, a long term care facility would get him walking again. Military personnel were coming today, so a fresh change of bandages was in order. "How are you feeling?" Aria asked the man.

The soldier, known as Major Smith, opened his eyes slightly. "Hazy. Lot of pain." He had already taken his medication and wasn't scheduled to take more for a couple hours.

"Is it safe to give him a local, Aria?" she asked first. Winry heard what happened yesterday, she didn't want to chance giving him something that would conflict with what was already in his system; that, and she didn't want to bring enraged Aria out again. She was apparently scary. The other man, Private Jones, was doing fine now.

"Go ahead."

"Good morning by the way." Winry said with more happiness than normal.

"So, how was last night?" Aria sleepily asked. She had stayed up too late the night before.

"Good, why wouldn't it be?" she said as she poked the man with a needle full of anestetic. He gave a sigh of relief.

She shrugged. "I was talking about your walk last night...you seem happier."

Winry was caught off guard by her words. "And just what do you mean by that?"

"Nothing...I just thought...you were 'busy'," Aria said.

"Doing what?"

She rolled her eyes. "You know."

"...no, nothing happened." She sounded disappointed.

"Ooh, trouble in paradise?" she said jokingly.

Winry shook her head. She waved her hand to follow her and left the patient to sleep. "I dozed off and I had this dream." she looked side to side but still decided to whisper it to her.

Aria's expression changed form intrigued to horrified. "Did that happen?"

"No, no, it was just the dream. I know Ed would never do that...but I liked it in the dream. I don't know what to do? Do I tell him?"

"Tell him what, exactly?" she asked.

"Tell him that I don't want to wait."

Aria got excited for her and nodded. "Tell him, what's the worst he's going to say? 'No, I wanna wait'?"

Winry gave it some thought. If he said 'no', she would just have to wait. She still feared the rejection though. "..." she didn't know what to say from there on out.

"Don't worry too much about it. We all do it eventually, its just a matter of 'when' that's the problem. You've known each other your whole life, from my understanding. It only seems natural at this point to go forward. Use protection is all I got to say. No babies." Aria had sound advice. After meeting with the Elrics' the first time, she had made new friends in her town. Not the best of friends, but still good people. Her only problem with them was they had 'drama' going full tilt, all the time. Giving advice to someone who was willing to listen was easy.

"I just don't want things to get weird." She poked her fingers together.

"Its either weird now or weird later."

Winry clenched a determined fist. "You're right. I'm going to ask."

That night was the time she set to talk to him. But talking didn't happen. She went right to bed, not being able to bring herself to ask. "Tomorrow." She said. Al and Aria were going into town because Pinako had a meeting in the hospital, they were getting a ride in with her. She and Ed were left behind to tend to customers and patients alike. They had already dispensed two of their patients, the third was leaving the next day. It was the perfect time to talk. She fell asleep almost right away.

There was a knock at the door. "What?" she said, still nearly asleep. The knock was quiet, it was most likely Ed. Her eyes shot open and stared straight up to her ceiling. "Come in." She whispered loudly. There was sheet rain coming down outside, so her voice was masked.

Silently, a dark figure came up to her bed and knelt at the side. "The roof is leaking over my bed," it _was_ Edward. "Can you move over?"

No arguments, she slid over, giving him some room. He laid on top of the covers, next to her, on his back. "You can come under if you like," she said quietly.

"...sure, thanks," With no more words, he pulled the covers from beneath him and cuddled up close, arm over her side, head nuzzled into her hair.

She smiled. Maybe she wouldn't ask him about going faster, this was nice. At least until she felt fingers brush on her stomach, beneath the shirt. "Ed..."

He kissed the back of her head. "...you mind?"

"...no." She closed her eyes and allowed the 'intrusion'. His hands were cool to the touch, mainly because she was so warm beneath the covers. Winry felt herself be rolled on to her back and a cautious knee navigated over to her other side.

Straddling her hips, he leaned his face down and locked their lips. Kissing her lips at first, then her cheek, neck and collar bone. That same curious hand had found its way around and he managed to surpass the shirt, groping gently. The same excitement that washed over him the previous night was back. Now they didn't have the rabbit to interrupt. His body laid almost directly on top of her, his knees helped him to hover above her. He supported the rest of his weight on his free arm.

Winry's legs contorted under him, her legs brushed against his, one was warm and kind of fuzzy, the other, sleek and cool. She felt her shirt lift up to her shoulder blades and those same lips traveled down further to meet it; leaving a trail of kisses in their wake.

Ed brought his head up to meet hers and they kissed again. "Take it off," he said in a husky voice, lifting her arms up. She obliged sat up, allowing him to slide the cotton tank top off, laying it to the side. He hunched over her, placing kisses at different spots each time. He went in with both hands, feeling the front, going around the back and up and down. It seemed he couldn't get enough of her curves. "How are your knees?" he said with a snort. He took meaning from her half asleep babbling, she was talking for a while and it seemed this was what she wanted. Him to be forward. Those books were half useless.

She laughed. "They're shaking, and I'm not even standing." Winry was supporting herself on both her elbows as Edward crouched over her, massaging and caressing her whole torso. She briefly thought he spoke to Aria, but this was a bit much for him to have been convinced by anyone else. He must have wanted it too.

He kissed her neck by her ear and spoke quietly. "This is all you get though."

"What?" she asked, still be felt up and kissed.

He sat up completely and looked down at her, she was panting and shirtless. "Even I know not to give it all away all at once." He bent down and kissed her once again, a quick peck. "Goodnight." That said, he hopped off her and trotted off to the door.

"Where are you going to sleep at?" She distinctly said there was a leak above his bed.

"My bed, there's no leak. Goodnight," and he disappeared out the door.

Winry pulled the blankets up, covering her naked half. "This means war." She smiled deviously.

* * *

I read in 'Psychology Today' about what men and women like in bed. Basically, it's the opposite from their personality. Winry is tough on the outside, so I the idea of being submissive to a partner would come across as erotic. She's leaving herself vulnerable, therefor making the encounter more exciting. She's letting go of her comfortable 'controlled zone'. Ed is very protective and respectful of women, so making one his 'chew toy' for sexual encounters seems to be plausible. He's normally shy about these kinds of things around other people. Being around someone who wants him in 'that way' is like a forbidden fruit aspect. Again, very enticing.

The idea of going against what you deem as a 'norm' is stimulating. It gives sex the idea of adventure and danger. Putting that element in the mix makes for an exciting encounter. When you can make a definite distinction between who you are, as a lover and who you are in front of other people, you have found a good lover. Very good in a social setting. You are who you are up front, but behind the door, you're a different person.

This distinction doesn't normally happen right away, but I'm writing a story, its suppose to be more 'fantastic' than real life. Then again, Ed and Winry knew eachother for so long, I don't see it as too much of a stretch to make them jump quicker than most.

Anyway, let's hear it, review time! XD


	8. Chapter 8  My Decision

This actually works out quite well. I've been listening to K'naan lately, so I've got a lot of inspiration to do this.

No time to polish, in a rush!

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_**Chapter 8 - My Decision**_

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The summer months slowly turned into autumn and threats of winter were showing up. Last week was their first frost. The rivalries in the east and west had subsided. The north, that was hit hardest, now was stronger than ever; Milla Armstrong was back in charge, she ruled with an iron fist.

The south was still unsettled. Due to the lack of much urban development, Aerugo was looked on with disinterest and not thought of as a 'high risk' for anything. Besides that, the people who ran Aerugo had an introverted look on how their country should be handled. This led their largest city to ruins, it was being 'infested'.

"They would ambush us," the soldier who was rushed in to the Rockbells inhaled sharply from the pain, "armour piercing rounds."

Winry grabbed the lock and detached the man's automail arm. "Why has it gotten so bad?" she asked, taking a look over the automail limb to see pock marks from bullets.

"Not enough man power. The 'infestation' is spreading," he cringed before sighing a breath of relief, when the automail was removed. It was bent in such a way that it was pulling on the anchor, causing the man a great deal of pain. "Oh that's much better. They hide in the abandoned buildings and shoot anything that moves."

When an 'infestation' occurred, it was the military's way of saying it was a large developed, industrial area, controlled by anarchists. With a stronghold erected, they had demands that needed to be met. Each day it was more money and then more clean water. Aerugo officials had the city's water cut off with the hopes of trying to flush them out with a 'dry flush'. Controlling them in any way they could was considered a step in the right direction to the local authorities.

The Amestrin military knew otherwise, they would sooner let the kidnapped die of thirst. They went against this choice and sent water to the terrorists, nothing else. The buildings that the majority of the mob occupied were large factory buildings. They hid like rats and struck like lightning. Many hostages were held in those same warehouses, so a raid wouldn't be a wise choice. Aerugo was familiar with the group of terrorists, they'd slit each throat before the military could yell fire. The mob swore it was to be a fight fought by Aerugo, any outside interference could pose more harm than good.

"They're like animals," Aria said helping him to his feet.

He shook his head. "No, they're more like reptiles. Cold, and full of poison." The automail he wore had nearly been torn off by one of their dogs. It seemed that the mob wasn't the only thing out to get them. Apart from the snipers, makeshift bombs and rabid dogs, the dense jungle that surrounded them had many plants and animals to be feared. It was everything made the civilized flee and the scum stick around.

"Why are they doing this?" she said, looking over to Aria. "Hand me that needle." Taking it in hand and wiped off a clean spot on his collar bone and numbed his shoulder, in the section that was torn near the seam. They would have to do some reconnection.

"Who knows? Money. Power. Love for chaos. Who cares? There's a peace loving part of their population that needs security, that's who we're there to help." He was calmer, now that the part of his arm causing him burning pain was gone. "All they want to do is sell what they pouch."

The buildings were hot spots for illegal trades of all sorts, fur was the most popular. With shiny, new, military issue weaponry, pouching became status quo for cash. Drugs were their second stand. Growing Yage was an accepted part of their culture, however, it was frowned on because they were not sanctioned by the government, they could skip out on paying taxes. It grew on the rooves and they sold out of country. Human trafficking was third. It was the most risque, so it was very low key. They had to get the situation under control before 'low key' turned to a 'high C'.

"I wouldn't mind getting my hands on some of that Yage they grow. I've never worked with it before, it suppose to be potent," Aria said as she held a sterile cloth to the bleeding wound. The plant she spoke of only grew in the hot, moist temperatures of the jungle. Yage, normally was processed it into a brew called Ayahuasca, a potent hallucinogenic.

"It's amazing," the man said with a smile, it was 'fun' apparently. The drug was illegal in Amestris, but was commonplace in Aerugo.

Fuhrer Grumman was amazed with was the proficiency with which they produced the drug and managed to get it across the border. Not only was it coming in unidentified, but it was being distributed to all parts of the country. Keeping a lid on things in their own country came first, the plight of others, second. To supplement for the loss, Amestris sent in relief to set up tents and dish out food to the people who lost their homes in the riots. Their effort was as effective as a band-aid over a bullet wound.

"Its one of the few things that keeps the people's spirits up." He was helped to the operating table and laid flat.

Aria pulled the blanket up to his chin. "It's a sad state of affairs when people have to turn to psycho-actives just to get through the day." As much as any of them had gone through in their lives, no circumstances warranted drowning their troubles.

"We complain about being so busy...kind of makes me feel selfish now. Looking at what you men have to go through day to day," Winry looked at him, he looked so relieved. To think that a gut wrenching trip to an automail mechanic was a vacation for these men. She smiled at him just the same. "We'll keep working hard, you just do your best to get better," she said and placed an oxygen mask over his mouth. She waved Aria down and they left the room in time to pass by Garfield.

She had called him up from Rush Valley over a month ago. He was helping in the effort to ease congestion from the trouble afflicting the south. After his patients were situated with other doctors, he got the train as soon as possible. Garfield was the surgeon on call for today. "Your words have gotten so soft, Winry. Love does change people," he said with a smirk before closing the door behind him. He was no stranger to love. He spotted Winry's eyes, on day one, looking at Edward. They had kept their affection to a minimum in front of others, so even Al wasn't too clear as to what was going on. No reason, it just didn't feel like something that should be announced, just assumed. Still, _he_ noticed when Granny _hadn't_. She must have been playing it coy. Nothing serious had happened between them as of yet, so there really wasn't anything to tip-toe around.

She took her apron from a nearby hook and tossed the loop around her neck. It was time to cook. Since the increase of patients, there had been an increase need for food. Winry, with Aria close behind, entered the kitchen, it smelled of baked bread and boiling soup, chicken. It was like a sauna, steam clung to the windows.

Paninya had come along with Garfield, she wanted to help out in any way she could. "Time to turn the dough guys," she said and tossed two moist globs of rising dough into some flour, then laid them on the table in front of the other two girls. Paninya had an affinity for cooking; she had said 'living on the streets made me realize how much I like food.'

The extension to the Rockbell house was finished and business was going full tilt. Now that the extra help was there, the Rockbell home turned into a hospital-like entity. Over a dozen beds adorn the large family quarters and growth was still eminent.

There had been rumours floating around that a successful enterprise had bought a lot of land, they were going to put in a housing development. There were mixed emotions on how it was going to change the way things worked around Resembool, but no one wanted to stifle growth of any kind. That was how a town died, not accepting the times. No one could stay old fashion forever.

Winry had finished turning the dough and placing it in the oven to bake with the rest. "I'm going to take a rest, let me know if you need me."

Paninya laughed. "Should we ask you, or Edward?" she said as she bumped Aria with her elbow.

"We'll be fine," Aria said, trying to defend Winry's 'private time' with Ed. Paninya knocked her to try and get her to play along, but Aria didn't budge. As busy as they were, there was little free time.

"Lucky girl," Paninya said, turning back to her work, the dough.

Aria through, but nothing came to mind. "We could all take a nap if we'd like..."

She sighed, truly this girl was an innocent. "Not what I meant."

Aria protested. "What? What do you mean!"

Paninya shook her head. "I'll tell you when you're older."

She became flustered and clenched her two fists at her chin, "I'm older than you!" by a couple months.

Upstairs, Winry made her way through the silent hall and looked around. There were many certificates lining the walls from past 'Rockbells', even some of her own were up there. Someday, she would need a family of her own to carry on the business. Ed was nice, but didn't come across to her as the 'family' type. Loyal, strong, dedicated, yes, but not 'father', just yet. Each time she thought about him, her mind raced with possibilities.

There were no words for her to say that he hadn't already heard, no pat on the back he hadn't felt. The only way she could thank him for being a part of her life both literally and emotionally was with her body. It was a 'thank you' no one else could give him, or ever has before. Not that she wanted it to say 'thank you', but she wanted to express herself in a way that words couldn't.

"You awake?" Winry asked as she laid a light knock on his door.

"Yeah," a dazed, half awake voice sounded from the other side of the door. He had been tilling the roof all morning, his hands were wrapped in bandages. Fingers mostly. For such a bright mind, his aim was so dull when it came to the hammer.

She pressed on the door's frame, it creaked as it slid towards the inside of the room. "Hey," she said without incident, "mind if I come in?" she whispered as she peeked around the frame of the door.

He sat up, confused at her discretion. "Come in..." he replied. As a familiar knee hit the side of his bed, he sat to meet it. Her arms went around him in the most memorable of ways and he accepted her embrace, laying her on the bed beside him. They spent the following minutes famillarizing their bodies. Kissing. Touching in ways they had in many instances before. His hands traveled beneath her shirt, touching her flesh and feeling her warmth.

"Ed," she began, "I was thinking...I think I'm ready..." she trailed off.

He was shocked and blushed. "Are you sure?" he said with a nervous tone.

Winry nodded.

"Really sure?," he said, kissing her neck, now perched above her.

She nodded again. "I am."

"Alright," He was sure he was more insecure than she was. Many different gestures made him think that this was what she wanted for a while. Now, she was asking for it outright. "When?"

"Tonight?" she asked.

"Tonight," he answered.

After a short session together, they parted. Winry was jittery all day. "Dammit!" she yelled as a particular piece of metal didn't fuse the way she wanted to. Tears began forming in her eyes.

Immediately noting the distress, Aria came over. "Its okay..." she said.

This made Winry break down even more. "..." she bit back tears.

"What's wrong?" Aria asked, now knowing it wasn't because she couldn't get the metal to listen to her.

She tried to weld it once again and it failed. She slammed the torch on the table in frustration."It's Ed!" she couldn't help getting flustered. "He's too..."

Aria was dumbfounded. "...? "

She threw her hands up in the air. "Its complicated! I asked him about..." she calmed down and looked around her mind for words. "...spending the night with him."

"Ooooh." Taking a few moments to understand the situation, she spoke. "I think...this is just new for you. You're scared..."

She hadn't even realized that. "I don't know why I would be." Thinking on it, 'being' with Edward did scare her. Not in the sense that it was 'scary', but because this was her first time. "I know..." she tried to defend her point. "...what if it hurts?" she looked worried.

The red head searched for the answers but came up dry. "...if you trust him. Guys can still hear you 'during'," she made quotations in the air, "if it hurts, tell him, he'll stop."

Winry calmed down. "Right...he'll listen."

Aria agreed. "That's the spirit!"

The day progressed as normal, right up until there was a hard, official sounding, knock on the door. Paninya answered. "Yes?" There stood a man in front of her, a series of letters in his hands.

He wore a blue military uniform adorned with the rank of Brigadier General on the shoulders, two thin strips lining a single thick band, no stars. His hair was short and black, it hung over his forehead. With eyes that resembled dark umber looking from beneath his bangs, his continence looked grim. "May I speak with Ms. Rockbell?" voice deep with regret.

Paninya stepped back. "Come in, I'll get her," she said, half knowing what was in those letters may have been.

This man was followed by a woman with short-cut blond hair. Three thin bands with three stars, a mark of a Captain. Her stance was solemn and respectful.

Winry came around the corner, smeared with blood. "Oh, Roy, Riza. I wasn't expecting you." She took off the apron and laid it aside.

He nodded. "You'll have to excuse the intrusion, we've been short handed since the revolt," he said, thumbing through some envelops, "here," he handed her two sealed letters.

"Revolt?" She looked at the stamp, it was from the fuhrer himself. Upon further inspection the letter was beckoning her to the south to help the wounded soldiers. "You're drafting me?" she was horrified, more so when she saw the name on the other letter. 'Aria Hall'. "...we're not even old enough to join." She had a point, both her and Aria were only fifteen.

"I'm sorry," Roy began, "things have gotten 'that' bad. We need all the help we can get."

She referenced behind her. "I'm needed here."

Riza held up a paper and read from it. "Pinako, Winry, Aria, Garfield, and Paninya. These are the people you employ. Two surgeons are required at all times, you have four," she finished, folding the paper and placing it back in her pocket.

It was true, they did have enough, they just wanted more so they could grow. "..."

"I know this is difficult to take in, but you'll have the rest of the day to pack, your train leaves in the morning," Roy looked as though he was being forced to watch a murder. He knew that the Elrics had just gotten back four months ago, and now he was segregating them from family once again. "I wish I had a say in the matter. But this is coming from above me."

Winry bit her bottom lip as she continued reading. "We won't be on the battle field would we?"

"No. You'll be in the tents, miles away. It's become too difficult to ship the injured here, we've lost too many good men. We need someone on site." He didn't want to tell her the reason they were picked. For fear of starting a quarrel.

When Pinako called in about allowing Aria to work for them, the military heard. When she called Garfield, they heard about that as well. With Winry's reputation, she was sought after for working directly for the military since this began. When they found out there were four surgeons on call, they interjected and snatched up to two most desirable surgeons. Pinako wasn't a choice because of her age and Garfield wasn't eligible because of his sexual orientation. Two strong young women were the best choice.

"I don't know if this will be any sort of consolidation, but here," he said, handing her a blank envelop. "Give that to Edward. And please, don't let him know we were here."

"Right," she said and closed the door behind the two messengers. She was about to be separated from Edward, but she didn't feel lonely. It may have been because she wouldn't be going to far or possibly because she was getting to help with the peace effort.

"What was that all about?" Aria saw the concern on Paninya's face and came to see what the news was.

Handing her the letter she spoke, monotone, "Looks like you'll get your hands on some Yage after all." She handed Aria the letter and explained why this was happening.

She looked over the letter, just as Winry did. "So if I quit, they can't send us?"

Winry nodded. "yeah...but I think that's called 'dodging' the draft."

"Ooo. I don't like the thought of being in jail." Aria folded her arms. "Well, I guess we'll have to make the best of this...and uh...so should you," she said subversively, a sly look on her face.

Winry got nervous again. She quivered. "Why did you remind me?" the pressure was on now. Now or whenever she got back, months later.

"Oops, sorry." She scratched the back of her head uncomfortably.

She looked down to the other nameless envelope. "He said to give this to Ed...I wonder what it is," she said and began to cry. Teeth clenched in an attempt to stay strong.

Aria was also shaken but composed herself. She and Al did have a pseudo-relationship, but it was nothing as committed as Winry and Edward. She knew the parting would be painful, but nowhere near what she felt. "...do you need a hug? That's all I got right now."

She nodded and wrapped her arms around Aria, who in turn held her tight. "We'll stick together and come home," she said and let go to see Winry wiping her face clean. "Okay now?"

"I will be," The rest of the day was hell on her mind, packing her bag took over an hour and on top of that, Ed and Al had stepped out for a walk. He didn't mention what was in the letter or if he had even read it. She left it on the table for him. It was gone when she came back, so she had no way of knowing. She believed that was what was scaring her, the unknown. When would she come back? With a dedicated expression, "I'm going to do this and come home...nothing to it," she said, thinking she was talking to herself.

"You're pretty dejected for someone who thinks there's 'nothing to it'," Edward spoke from her doorway. He looked concerned. "I heard about the draft...what are you going to do?"

She shrugged and flipped her suitcase shut. "Nothing I can do. I have to go." She zipped the bag shut.

He smiled. "It'll be fine. You're not going to be around any fighting. You'll be in a military camp."

Winry threw the bag to the floor. "I don't care that I have to go...you just get home and now I'm the one who has to leave. And here you are acting like nothing's wrong! Ed, I don't want to leave your side-"

"You won't,"

"-again...what?" she had hear him say it, but why?

"We won't be separated. I'm going too. Not right away, but I'll follow soon after," he smirked.

She calmed down and sat at the end of her bed. "Why? How?"

he held up the paper that was in the envelop. "Two volunteer slips for Al and I if we so choose. Takes some time to process, so I can't go with you tomorrow. I need a passport and some," his whole body rattled, "needles before the trip. It'll take a few weeks."

"To hold you down?" She laughed and jumped for joy. Landing in his arms, she topped it off with a kiss. "Thank you, Ed. I'd say don't come on my account but-"

"I want to," he cut her off. "I know how you get," he said supportively.


	9. Chapter 9 The Past

There's a lot of things that have yet to be revealed. Rest assured, I've done my research...

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_**Chapter 9 – The Past**_

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Once again, they had put it off. When Winry found out she was going to be shipped off to Aerugo in the morning, her time with Ed felt it needed to be moved along quicker. That was no longer the case. "Are you two going to be able to run this place without us?" she said with a smile.

"Yeah, you better help with the cooking. Paninya can't have her hands full all the time," Aria added.

"We'll hold down the fort," Al said with enthusiasm.

Ed scoffed at his younger brother willingness to volunteer his time. "We should be training before we leave, not making bread."

"We need food to train, brother." He clenched his fist, flexing a toned forearm. He spent the summer months and the first chunk of autumn building his weight up. Now it seemed he had reached a healthy mass. The construction on the house was good for both the Elrics and Rockbells.

"Yeah, yeah. I know," dismissing the comment he turned his attention to the two girls. "Have a guide at all times. Don't ever wander alone at night, even in the camp. That's when people normally go missing." He was worried for their safety. It hadn't happened on a military camp, but down in the rickety village near the river they'd be by, three women went missing. There was always the chance it was an 'Act of God', but with the situation being what it was, it was safe to assume they'd been abducted.

The engineer hollered to the passengers to board. "This is it," she hugged Ed and Al at the same time, "Like a band-aid, tear it off quick," she said and turned around, hopping on the train right away.

"She's tougher than I thought," Aria said and gave both of them a hug as well. "I'll make sure we stick together on the base. I've already requested a shaman to take me into the woods with a bodyguard. We're going to be fine." Her eyes watered up. "Like a band-aid..." she said and sniffled while boarding the train.

Ed and Al gave each other a puzzled look and laughed. "They stay so strong, right up until the end." The program he had planned for his little brother was reminiscent of Izumi's training. Since Al hadn't had any training in four years, technically. He was all experience, no pain endurance. Ed was going to have to toughen him up!

It was time to train. They had been given an exact date, a day shy of three weeks. The plan was to do weighted training until then. Two days on, one off to recover; do that up until the departure date. The train ride would give them time to recuperate, it was three days long. Edward had purchased a couple books on 'Aerugo Culture & Customs' and was going to finish them on the way there.

He gave him a wicked smile. "Hit me." They arrived home long enough for Ed to turn around and say that.

Alphonse looked at him. Had he said what he thought he did? "Why?"

With a shake of his head he stepped a bit closer. "Right here. Hit me!" He tapped his own shoulder, the left side. "Hard as you can handle."

Looking for a bluff in his brother's eyes, he lined up and socked him in the shoulder as hard as he could. His brother staggered backward once, with one foot.

"Not bad." He punched Al directly at the location he'd hit him.

"What was that for?" he winced, holding his arm in pain. "You told me to hit you."

"I know," he punched him again, "I hit you as hard as you hit me. If I can take it, so can you. Why do you think I said as hard as _you_ can handle?"

Al diverted the third punch and clocked Ed in the ribcage with a quick hook.

Ed's eyes brightened. "That's more like it!" again he went after Al, another punch lined up. This went on until blood was drawn. To which Pinako said she'd had enough. Enough of them tenderizing one another, it was time to tenderize dinner. They were having steak.

With a battered and bruised arm and shoulder, Alphonse hit the piece of raw meat with a wooden hammer. It had many bumps on either of it's flat sides, so each time he hit the steak it left an oddly dotted pattern. Normally when he'd be doing this chore, he'd be staring out the window, but his neck was too sore to keep upright. That may have been the reason he gave the battered cut more attention than normal. "Why does muscle get softer if you hit it when it's dead...but it gets tougher when you hit it when it's alive?"

"Not sure," he said and gave Al one more punch in the arm, sending him to the ground. "Come on, it's not that bad. We get to do this again tomorrow, then you can have a break," he gave him one more punch as he lay quivering on the ground.

"Great." Al rested his head against the tiled floor.

"Steaks look good. I'll get the grill fired up," he cheerfully grabbed the last slab off the cutting board and tossed it on top of the others. Giving a hop, he cleared Alphonse and exited to the back porch.

"Just...great." he was exhausted, pulling himself to his feet was a chore.

As for Winry and Aria, it was a three day trip in a crowded cabin. As much as they enjoyed each other's company, three days was a long time to keep a conversation going. They brought books to entertain. Occasionally sharing a view or thought on something they'd read. The first day was fine, as was the second. Towards the end of the third, after the books were gone, the heat was much more noticeable and the humidity spiked. Sweat beaded their foreheads and trickled down their backs. "If this is how hot dusk is, imagine what the day must be like."

Winry blotted her face with a cold towel. "I don't think I can," she said with a whine.

They were all in for a busy month. The camp was as they'd expected, they spent their first night in the tents at the edge of an endless forest. The walls around the military base were built high and garnished with barbed wire. Heavy doors with five guards out front parted way to thevast five-hundred square foot pen, full of people who had come in aide of the homeless. Most from Amestris, but also others from the surrounding nations. Even from Xing; which included crossing a desert to have arrived.

The next day, toward the early afternoon, was sheer hell. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, so the sun had a field day on the tops of their heads. The land didn't even give off a breeze. Winry's supplies were being sent to the 'large tent at the end of the main road', so were her instructions. Walking down the dusty road, a ox and cart passed by, kicking up dust. The sun beat on her head like a tribal drum and the air stunk like a barn. "This is rough. I hope those boys realize how easy they've got it." Winry lamented about her home and how it must have been so cool and breezy.

Aria had to gather her own materials. She and Breda, a member of Roy's team armed with a rifle, had followed a local shaman into the jungle. "That's so much better," Aria said as she entered the dense underbrush; it offered much shade with layers and layers of leaves. In front of them, a native man, Vasco. He was in his late twenties and a seasoned shaman.

"Keep your head low," he said, lifting some large vines to one side with a machete. "Always check for spiders when you go through these." He was tall, nearly six foot. The man's face was of ruddy brown, with deep set brown eyes. His hair was black, long and thin, tied at the base of his neck it hung in a ponytail. A man versed with the knowledge of his own homeland and a revered member of society, chosen by his people. "When collecting fungus or insects, make certain you have an expert examine them first." He speech was refined in both English and Nheengatu, the native language of Aerugo, which he spoke with the most curious of accents.

There were so many different plants Aria hadn't even heard of before. She could have easily spent the entire day out there, if it wasn't for her body craving food. By the end of the day she had over fifty new species of flowers, herbs, vines and now, insects. In Amestris, insects were rarely used in medicine; frequently in food supplements, but none had the 'qualities' of healing. "I notice we didn't run into any yage, is it not found in this region?"

Vasco shook his head. "It is, but that is one plant reserved for rituals only. It is far to toxic to be in the hands of someone any less skilled than myself."

"Good to know." She saw Breda, he looked confused. It seemed the plant the base had been using for relaxation was taboo when not used properly. This man possibly had some in his possession. Not wanting to blow the whistle on anyone, she left it at that. Until they returned to the base that is. "I couldn't help but notice your expression when I brought up yage," she narrowed her eyes at him, "I want some."

He began sweating bullets. "I got no idea what you're talking 'bout."

"Maybe I should ask around," she said, looking over her shoulder. "Might be someone willing to-"

He silenced her, "Okay, shh," he gave in and led her to a tent, no different than the rest. "You saw nothing, right?" after seeing a reassuring nod, he opened the tent and allowed her to pass through. Falman and Kain were counting ammunition and fixing radios. Communication was key to navigating the savage land. Breda reached into a metal tin and produced a brown paper bag with something inside.

It only took a few seconds before the scent hit her. "This isn't yage," she said before even opening it. It was opened to reveal a dried cluster of plant leaves. It had a potent 'wet woodland tree' smell to it.

"Oh yeah? We heard a lot about it before we got shipped down here. This was found growing behind an old building," Breda said. "We've been mixing it into Mustang's food for the last couple days. It didn't seem to work, I guess that's why." Yage was suppose to give one spiritual enlightenment, but now they knew it wasn't working because it wasn't yage.

Aria shook her head. "This is cannabis." Their faces washed white. "This stuff only works it you bind it to a lipid, that way it can be broken down in the stomach. More importantly, why are you spiking his food?"

The three soldiers exchanged guilty glances. They explained about the Ishbalan war and how it left Roy riddled with 'shell shock', more aptly renamed 'post-traumatic stress disorder'. It was making him lose his temper and compulse, with everything. He had been there a month, and things got worse by the day. Now that he was around gunfire and bloodied soldiers, it was like the past came back to slap him around. Symptoms were surfacing. He was cleaning everything. Straightening objects on desks as he walked by. He was also sneaking a nip here and there of the local wine. The last straw was him finally snapping at his crew to count the ammunition for messing up the sugar content of his coffee. One was not enough. Too odd, apparently.

"Now that he's down here, nothing's clean enough." Havoc heard them talking from out back and entered. He tossed his cigarette in a metal bin, designed to protect against fires from discarded embers. He was the first to notice Roy's condition when the old Fuehrer, King Bradley, asked him to do some surveillance on Mustang for a time. Instead of doing paperwork he would obsessively polish the windows. "It's symmetry now," he shrugged, "It's got to be straight, perfectly aligned or at a flawless forty-five degree angle," he rotated his hand as if to delicately tune the knobs on a radio.

"Are you serious?" Kain asked as he taped up the last box, not fully aware of the extent of Mustang's madness.

"It's true. I even caught him with a protractor. He tried to deny it." Falman said with grief. "So that's what he was doing." Taking the box from Kain he laid it on top of the rest, which were on a trolly, ready to be brought out to a nearby truck.

"Havoc, you found the plant. Who told you it was yage?" Kain asked.

None of them could deny the look of innocence on Havoc's face, he was overcompensating for something. Maybe they wouldn't have thought that if he hadn't started whistling.

Aria raised and eyebrow. "Care to let us in?"

"He was driving us nuts! I thought if he had some he'd calm down." Havoc protested his prosecution. "I was hoping he would lighten up before he ended up in a bottle, like last time." He brought up a valid point.

Roy was in denial over his behavior, blaming it on the fact he had been in such a neat office for many years. It essentially 'threw him off', and that he'd be fine on his own. It only intensified.

"Could I talk to this guy, Brigadier General Mustang?" she asked.

Carefully weighing the pros and cons of letting Aria near him. They decided that if there was anyone who was going to convince him to get help, it was a pretty young girl. "He likes the really feminine ones," Havoc was nudging her forward while she was having second thoughts, "Try flirting with him."

After he gave her all the warnings about Mustang, she imagined the worst. "Maybe I-" before she could get out any kind of disagreement, she was shoved into his tent. They locked eyes. "Oh," she said with shock, "You're not what I imagined," she blushed. He was very handsome. The way his crew went on about him, she was expecting some creepy old man, but he was young and good looking.

"Excuse me?" he had no clue who she was, and looked upon her with confusion. That quickly left when he stood up and approached her, smiling wide. "Who might you be?"

She became flustered. "Aria Hall, I'm here to help with the peace effort," he took her hand, "I do medicine, things."

"You're so young, yet so talented," his charm was going full tilt with a kiss on the back of her hand.

"Thank you," she retrieved her hand to reach into her bag. It flipped open she searched for the brown package Breda had given her; she was instructed not to say where she had got it. "I heard that you're having a hard time adjusting to the fighting, some of your crew were concerned."

He immediately lost interest in her. "They sent you? I knew it was too good to be true," he went back to his bed laid down. "I'm not buying it."

She was determined and dropped the paper bag, allowing her purse to fall shut. "No, they didn't send me, I heard them talking so I asked. I came here of my own free will," she didn't mind telling a little white lie, if it was for his own good.

"Why does it matter to you how I feel? You're not even in my squadron," he rested an arm over his eyes, "I'll leave it to you, to see yourself out."

Such a drop in mood concerned her. "What does it matter? You're here to help and if you can't do that, these people suffer. Technically, I'm thinking of them, not you," she said with snap and got him to bite.

Roy stood up and had a look on his face that could burn then snap you in half all at once. "...you're-" he mentally began to compile a rant on how she didn't know what he had gone through, and what he was once again going through, but stopped on the first word. Not wanting to shatter the mind of an innocent.

"...right," she said, finishing his sentence. "I'm right. You need help with this. There's no shame in asking for help. I see more shame in refusing help when you need it," she knew she was way out of line to speak to such a high ranking officer as she did. An offense that could put her in jail. Aria had a power move as back-up, if you counted bursting into tears as a 'back up' power move, she was ready for anything. "That's why I'm here..." She paused, "I'm sorry," and kicked the ground at her feet.

"Don't..." he sat on the edge of his bed. "What do you want to give me?" he said with a defeated tone.

She brightened up a little, but then saw his facial expression, he looked so helpless. His mood was like a yo-yo, it was all over the place. Friendly and flirting right to anger, apathy and then submission. "Can I ask...what's the big issue on your mind?" she sat next to him to listen, the self-proclaimed therapist that she was.

"You're just a kid, it would be too much to comprehend," he had a hat in his hand, he kept rotating it by walking his fingers around the brim.

She could tell he wanted her to stay to talk. "Try me," she laid her purse down.

"Do you know what its like to regret?" He quickly shook his head. "...never mind, this isn't going to help. Just give me the pills."

"No pills," she said, "You may need to talk it out. Get it off your chest." It was then Aria noticed an empty wine bottle at her feet, half sticking out from beneath the bed. She didn't draw attention to it.

He was becoming frustrated. "I've talked and droned on it for years, why would it change any if I spoke to you about it? Don't take it the wrong way, but if a line of psychologists can't help, what makes you think you can say anything they haven't?" he dismissed her, "just leave."

She reached down and picked it up the previously discovered bottle. "Something they haven't said...alright then," she said and pushed the bottle into his chest, hard, with a cheerful smile on her face. "Well, when you want to crawl out of here to talk, I'll be in the operating tent, helping Winry," with that comment she turned to leave, only to have a hand grab her wrist.

"Wait," he rubbed his forehead, "I don't know what's worse, the fact I'm taking advice from a child, or the fact you did manage to say something they haven't." He let go and looked at the wine bottle in his hand, he had drank it last night and forgot to dispose of the evidence.

"I'm here to offer a point of view. No 'for sure' thing that I'm going to be able to help."

"You're too modest." He laughed.

She blushed. "No I'm not...maybe."

He chuckled. "Alright, come sit at the table, I'll fill you in."

Aria's heart was pounding, not only was she practically ordering an adult around, he was listening. "Where do you want to start?"

He sat with a fist on his cheek, looking at her. "With you," he smiled.

Aria narrowed her eyes at him. "Uh..."

With a shake of his head, "I'm not letting you in unless you offer a little something of your own. You're an alchemist, right? Equivalent exchange."

"How did you-?" she was startled with his accusation. How had he guessed?

Roy pointed at her forehead. "No one gets a tattoo of a transmutation circle for no good reason. What's yours?"

She lifted a hand to the circle hidden by the bangs on the right side of her forehead, near the hairline. She was sure to use her hair to cover it, he must have seen it from an angle. "I dye my hair-"

"What is it naturally?" he kept the questions coming. "Can you show me?"

With a huff, she grabbed her hair tie and pulled it off her waist length hair. Activating the circle caused the red in her hair bleed upward in a low powered reaction. It revealed a dark chocolate brown. When all the colour was gone, Aria caught a red crystal that formed between her hand and the circle. It was the dye, solidified into a crystal. "Brown. Plain boring brown."

"Why did you dye your hair?" again, another question.

She tied her hair back again, she would later apply the red again. "Why does it matter? I like red." she got antsy.

Roy noticed the distress right away. "Or so you say. If you want a peek at my past, I need to know who you are first. How can someone hiding from a secret of their own help me?" he challenged her with a smirk.

Aria bit her lip. This was a snippet from her past she wished she didn't have to dig around in anymore. She stalled, cracking her fingers.

"Nervous? Tea?" he pulled a pot of boiling water off a nearby stove and filled two cups that seemed to come from nowhere. "I've got time."

She began regretting her offer of help. Still, she wanted to help as much as she could, and if this was a hurtle she needed to clear, she would. "Okay..." Aria hesitated one last time and sat down at the table. "You win."

"As I normally do," he pushed her tea toward her. "Please, go on. Where are you from?"

Aria got the feeling that 'this' was his default personality. She made a quick mental note of that fact. "I'm from Glade, a large fishing and farming community in the west. I grew up in West City but when I was ten my folks moved to Glade," she sipped her tea. "When I was eleven, they left to do a run overseas and never came back. The boat was never found."

"Eleven? How did you make a living?" he was getting the feeling he was being rough on her, making her talk about it any further, but now he was curious. Far be it for him to let emotions get in the way of information.

"We bought a house outright. I gardened my food," rotating the cup in her hand, she admired the craftsman's work making the aluminum so flat. "I did that for a while until I picked up my first alchemy book. I started making dye for tattoos and even tried my hand at tattooing for a while. I'm no artist, so I gave up on that and focused on my alchemy. That's when I ran into this man talking about a red stone," she held up the solidified dye in her hand. "This," Roy extended his hand and she handed it to him, so he could get a few different perspectives of it.

"Why?" he knew full well 'why', he just wanted to see how much she knew. He handed it back.

"They wanted to make a philosopher's stone. I knew the whole time what I made wasn't what they were looking for. I wouldn't have said yes, but they offered me a large sum of money to make them 'red water' they required to make one of their own. I made them crates of the dye in liquid form and sold them for a small fortune. I was lucky, that was when two young alchemists came through town and helped me out, Ed and Al. They're really sweet."

Roy raised an eyebrow. "Fullmetal? No, I can't see that. Alphonse, maybe."

"You know who I'm talking about?" She then remembered Ed mentioning a 'Colonel Mustang'. This must be the one he spoke of. His personality did clash with Ed's. Roy liked information, but Ed tended to bottle it up. "That saves part of the explanation. Al helped me learn how to grow flowering plants with alchemy. I was able to make the dye in record time after that."

"Where was Ed during all of this lesson?" Roy hadn't heard tell of 'Glade' in any of the boys travels. He needed to know as much as possible.

"He was in bed, with a fever," she admitted.

"Typical. Continue," he folded his fingers and looked at her from in behind them.

"...after I filled their order and got paid, I got my pharmacology license and built a business making natural medicine. Nearly a year later, they came to me again and said that I scammed them. Which I did, but what was I going to do? I was starving at the time. I offered to pay them back in installments but they refused and then threatened me. If I didn't agree to help them in some other way I would have an 'accident'," she took another drink, "This is good-initially I agreed, but only to make them to go away. The next day I sold my house to my neighbour and set out with what I had received. I hopped from town to town, trying to make as much distance between me and them as possible. I dyed my hair so I wouldn't be so easily identified. I ended up in Resembool. Then here."

"...and here you are," he processed her story quickly. She wasn't lying. "Anyone in town going to miss you? Family? A lover?"

She blushed again, this time she stuttered. "It-I-no. Before I lost my parents, I couldn't even bring myself to talk to anyone. We didn't know anyone when we moved, so I was literally left alone. Just a few friends. I made them after I met Al."

Mention one without the other? he thought it may have been significant. "The Elric brothers have that effect on people. Bringing the best out of them," as much hell as he put Ed and Al through, what with all the secrets, he knew their kindheartedness rubbed off on others.

"I don't know where I'd be if it weren't for them. After Al helped me and I got a cash flow again, I made some good friends that lived on my street. They were always dealing with some kind of drama, so I just got used to helping them. I kind of became the group therapist. The mediator. Which is why when I heard about what you went through, I jumped to help..."

"You wanted to help me and and all you did was talk about yourself," he said with a warm smile. "You've been a big help." He stood up and waled toward the door.

"Wait, what? No I haven't," she was caught off guard by his action. "You need to tell me-"

"Something? No I don't. Thanks for the company though." His mood seemed to be steady.

Her mouth was ajar. "That was a dirty trick." Aria huffed and folded her arms. "I'm not leaving until you talk." There were many things about herself that she loved, but only one thing she really hated, being a lightweight. She looked side to side, now that she was out in front of Roy's tent, clinging to the chair for dear life. "Not cool," she said as she stood up and walked away.

Roy laughed from behind the tent door flap. Hearing about someone else's triumph over adversity gave him a light to do it himself. Also, staying elusive was key on his part. With a sudden boom filling the air, a chill ran through his body. "I can do this..." he assured himself as his heart skipped a beat or two.

* * *

I saw it in one episode for all of a few seconds and I blow it into full blown OCD/PTSD.  
And yes, she's got her hands on more of the green gold.

So many angles, but where to go first? Hmmmm...


	10. Chapter 10 Social Ties

When you get to this * just imagine that this is the accent he is speaking with all the time. I spelled it this way to show how thick it is. I don't feel like writing it like that every time the character talks. DX

You'll know when you get to it. Think Jamaican.

* * *

_**Chapter 10 Social Ties**_

* * *

The day they arrived, it was raining. Ed held his canteen up towards the sky, allowing a few stray raindrops to gather as they zipped by in the train. He had been doing this for nearly twenty minutes. It wasn't like there was much else to do, they were exhausted and muddy from digging. "If I had a funnel," he sounded distant when he spoke, eyes drained of life. Thiswas the pinocle of boredom. Nearly an entire day was added to the brothers train trip on account of inclement weather.

Al was catching up on the reading material Ed had finished a day ago. It was a book on the customs of the region and certain things that, as an outsider, one should know. "Did you try using paper?" in a makeshift attempt at a funnel, he meant.

"Yeah," he said with a sigh, "made the whole thing taste like paper."

He thought again, "how about a leaf?" There certainly were many big leaves.

Edward took a drink of what he managed to collect. "We're not allowed to touch anything," The trees closed in on either side of the train, yet in fear of poisoning, they weren't allowed to touch or consume anything. Or build simple tools.

He went back to reading, "Right...What part did you skip yesterday?" Al questioned because he saw Ed flip through a section of the book rather quickly.

"Rituals. I skimmed it," he admitted. "It was about meditation and tea drinking followed by some dancing in the woods. It's for seeing the future," he chuckled and wiggled his fingers.

Al grinned. "Every culture has their quirks. These people may think its strange our people go in buildings to worship."

"I think they're both equally ridiculous," he pointed out.

"So cynical," Al sighed, "I remember a time when you believed."

"And those days are gone. Truth encompasses the world, all is one and one is all." He sounded so proud when he said that. His tone suggested he wanted that to be the end of the conversation.

"Well...where did Truth come from?" he attempted to drag it out a bit longer.

"Truth didn't get created, Truth just _is_," he retorted, tired of it all.

Al tried again, "but-"

While they were on the road in years past, Al spoke to him many times about his faith. Each time yielded the same answer, dismissal. "Nope. Truth," he held up a hand, "not up for discussion," he quickly turned his attention back to the canteen. Bringing it in to look inside, "halfway there," and put it back out.

Paying his brothers stubbornness no mind, he returned to the chapter. Certain plants were boiled together into a thick, bitter tea for cleansing the body of internal parasites. Shamans used the visions it gave it to predict war tactics. It aided the user to search their soul to find mental or physical trauma. There was more than just tea drinking, many different traditions were discussed.

The train whistle sounded, soon it would be time to go out an shovel again. Earlier that day, the rain caused a mudslide over the tracks. As the track curved around the mountain, they would run into the dirt they threw over the edge from above, along with the mud that initially slid. There was no other way to go about it, being as far out as they were, there was no hope in getting any machinery to them.

The last section of track that was covered was down the steep mountain several hundred feet. The train would descend slowly as it coasted around to the other side of the mountain. They would loop around the base to be stopped once again by the lowest section. After that, it was only an hour to the camp.

It was the beginning of the rainy season, so they were getting showers on and off. Soon they would be immersed in rain; this was nothing. During their training in Resembool, it rained once and was too freezing to do anything in. It was raining the same day they met Izumi; training in the rain felt right, if only for that reason. It did make the burn of getting hit sting less. Numbing the skin where it fell. Maybe being punched drown out any bad memories he had in the rain, like Nina-"No!" he said, slapping himself in the cheeks with his hands.

"You okay, brother?" Al looked a little terrified at Ed's unprovoked outburst.

Standing, he went to their cabin door, "I'm bored. I need something to do," he said and opened it.

"Maybe someone could lend you a book?" he said, not sure there was anyone else on the train who spoke English, let alone had a book written in English.

He frowned upon the idea, but decided to ask around anyway. At the very least, he would get a feel for who was going to be at the camp. Upon further inspection, there were no other passengers in their rooms. They may have gone to the back car, which was in the opposite direction he was going.

*"Ya'Ungry?" a voice came from behind him. He turned to meet it. "Dey've closed up 'till camp, jou bring any food wi'chu?" he spoke with a thick accent not from the area.

It was then Ed realized they were in the car with the kitchen. "I just was looking to kill time before we go out to shovel again." In about an hour they would have to stop to get out and dig the track out again. In the time being, he was bored. When that happened, he thought about things. That led to stress, restlessness and now, frustration. He needed a distraction.

"I got you. Come on," the man waved his hand. "Last time we stopped we ran into a tobacco farmer."

Ed tried to withdraw, "I don't smoke-"

"Thas' fine. Still, you should talk to people, you and your brother shoveled in total silence last time." He spread his hands out at his sides. "I'm Nathanda, but you may call me Nathan," he said extending his hand. He most likely altered his name to something more anglicized to ease communication gaps.

"Edward," they shook.

"Ah, Edward, thought so. Met your brother," he said and gave him a bright smile, "Came knocking after you had left, I just missed you. Said I'd bring you back." They began walking.

"Sounds good," he said. Al's patients had paid off, he better not have been planning to rub that in. Alphonse always was after him for being so impulsive. As they walked, he couldn't help but notice Nathan's apparel. Ed never liked drawing attention to people's appearance, but this person was far from anyone he'd met before. His language, his exterior and gestures. It wasn't a look of contempt Ed gave this man, but curiosity. "...so, where are you from?" They walked together to the back car.

"Digg'esho, in lower Remicia." A land practically on the other side of the world, in a renowned city no less. The town in question had made advancements in extracting and the refining process of gasoline. "My father owns the company funding this trip."

His eyes widened. "No way? You're here on business then?"

"A big company needs someone to make them look good. I'm 'ere to volunteer. It was a good excuse to get away from everything, ya' know?" They briefly chatted as they passed through two more passenger cars before reaching the back. He looked to be in his mid twenties, maybe a bit older. Ever so pleasant when he spoke, he was a plump man who had an aura about him that was just comfortable to be around. The robes he wore on his shoulders reflected his rich heritage. Fine fabric, not a stitch out of place. A mostly yellow print, but with streaks of white vertically. He held a solid teal sash over his shoulder, which he straightened before opening the door to the last car. It was filled with smoke and various bottles of liquor were scattered about.

Ed drew his last breath of uncut air. Finding it difficult to believe Al was in the middle of this, he looked around. Sure enough, he was around a small cluster of people, reading to them from the book he had bought for the trip. They were taking notes in their respective languages. "Brother," he signaled him to come closer. They shared what they learned from books, likewise learned from the few native inhabitants who were also on board. Several different recipes were shared to bring to the camp. Even a loose knowledge of common fruits and berries. Finally, the train applied the breaks and the tracks howled.

"Boys," Nathan isolated his words so only Edward and Alphonse could hear. "...now, if you have a problem with the work load not being addressed, you can come to me."

Ed immediately became suspicious. "Uh...you're not implying a union," he said with absolute stealth. The talk of unionizing sent the higher-ups into an uproar. Any business hated unionizing, it gave the people too much power, which was usually abused.

Nathan waved his hands in front of him. "Heavens no, son. I just want you to remember that you are volunteers. That's all," he guided them towards the exit. The back of the car had been opened to air out the thick smoke and let the other passengers off.

Ed stepped out with Al close behind. "I don't know if we can trust him," he said quietly to as he picked up a shovel.

"Why not?" he asked out of morbid curiosity.

"He's charismatic, people listen to him, he even pulled me in at first. I don't like it." Ed glared in his direction discretely observing him talk to others.

"The fact that he's socially well adjusted is a problem to you?" he should have let it go.

"That's not what I'm getting at. He just assumed that we would have a problem with the way things are being run."

"The military can be hard to talk to for some. He may want to speak for someone not able to speak up for themselves."

"This guy doesn't even know how things are in the camp, yet he's assuming there's going to be an issue...Why?"

"I've been asking myself the same question for a while now. Just dig." He pulled the second shovel from his brother's hand and made his way along the side of the train. Al was slowly learning to diffuse arguments before they began.

Edward kept his suspicions to himself for now, he would have to keep a close eye on Nathan. Many people left the back car at the same time, maybe this guy had many followers already. He would have to make a point to keep his own interactions with the military officials to a minimum. At least until he was sure of Nathan's intentions.

"Does this mean you're siding with the military? Not like you, brother." Al said in passing, kicking himself as the words passed his lips. He couldn't help but antagonize sometimes. Being the younger brother, he felt the right reserved for him to be a brat at times.

"Not at all," Ed approached the pile of mud next to another passenger and began digging.

No rant? He was relieved. Al felt this was a sign his brother was plotting something. He was going to have to keep an eye on him- "No!" Al yelled and dropped his shovel.

Ed looked at his brother, confused. "What...?"

Alphonse hung his head in shame, "I'm a hypocrite." He picked up his shovel and began in the dig, dropping the topic all together.

This was the largest pile of dirt, it had the first two layers on top, but after this they were home free. A one hour train ride and they could finally shower. They were covered with mud to begin with, so they got to throw more on top of that. Ed couldn't help but notice that Nathan wasn't covered in dirt. In fact, he wasn't anywhere to be seen now.

The sun was threatening to go down, it began to dip in the sky and flush the heavens with orange. "I never noticed how beautiful the sky is," he said, not thinking that he had said it out loud.

Al furrowed his brow. "That's not you," he stood with his weight against the digging tool.

"Sorry Edward, might be the second hand." Nathan's voice sounded from beside him. He was dressed in filthy cloths. Plain white pants and shirt, smeared with the gray-brown mud. He held a cigar between his teeth. The rain had stopped, so his cigar didn't go out this time.

"I didn't even notice you. You look so different..." Ed looked for words.

"Since I changed my cloths?" he looked offended. His stern look turned to a smile in a second, "I'm just messing with you," he laughed and gave Ed a slap on the back. "Here, its all good, 'peace pipe'." He held his cigar out to Ed.

He had read of sharing a 'peace pipe' with a new friends; he picked up something from skimming the 'Ritual' chapter. Taking the large cigar in hand, later known as a mapacho, he brought it to his lips. Paused, "Don't tell Winry," he looked to Al, who shook his head, "Good." Winry had complained about Pinako's smoking before, so if she found out he had used tobacco, she give him an ear-full. The first try, he ended up coughing violently for more than a minute.

Nathan stuck his shovel in the ground, "Hold it here," Nathan moved Ed's hand till the end barely touched his mouth and got him to inhale. Getting a cooler mix of smoke and air, he didn't choke and managed to exhaled a small stream of smoke. It danced through the air. "D'er ya go!" he exclaimed took the cigar back. This happened a few times, it was even presented to Al, who in turned it down.

"It's custom though. I thought it was your idea to embrace the customs here." Ed was right. It was Al's idea to brush up on customs before they got there. "Woah," he shut his eyes tightly, "...dizzy."

"That's why. You didn't even read the ritual section. So you don't even know what you just put in your body," he folded his arms.

"Mapacho. Made from a local plant. It has a nicotine content five times stronger than the tobacco back home," he was hoping to shock his sibling with his knowledge of the land.

"Yeah, but did you read about 'peace pipe', the whole thing? ...that's not just tobacco. I'm surprised you don't recognize it."

It started hitting him, his body spun and his mind buzzed. "Why would I recognize this."

"You okay?" Nathan popped back up.

"He didn't know there was cannabis in your smoke."

Ed's eyes grew to the size of saucers and he grabbed Al by the shoulders, "What? Why wouldn't you tell me?" he panicked. Winry was going to be able to tell he was smoking if he was inebriated.

Alphonse shrugged holding back a smirk.

"Is there a problem?" he asked smoking his, now properly identified, blunt.

It was nearing sunset, they maybe had an hour of light left. "If I get caught smoking that stuff I'll be written up."

Nathan raised an eyebrow. "For Ganji? This plant grows all over the place." He hooked his thumb to the left, "I got this off the side of the road. It's not illegal here, if that's what you're worried about."

"It's not?" Ed seemed a bit relieved. "Guess I gotta work through it." Figuring a few breaths of fresh air was what he needed to make his head stop spinning, he dug on. His eyes glossed over and he focused on his work. The night sky was coming in clear since the storm moved out, the sky was lightly flecked with a different set of stars. He stood up and looked around. "We're done, that felt like nothing."

Al wiped a combination of sweat and mud from his forehead. "Nothing? I'm drained."

"No way, I could keep going," he said, pumping his arms back and forth, keeping up the blood flow.

After boarding the train, they arrived in camp in no time. They unpacked the equipment cars and everything was put in its place. The train switched drivers and headed back for another load. The whole crew was given a series of buckets to rinse off with with but were pulled into a tent to be briefed first. "Good-evening everyone. I'm glad to see so many of you here. Even a few familiar faces." It was Roy giving the introduction. "As you all may know, there are a lot of restrictions while you're here and-" the speech went on for a while.

Ed leaned toward his brother, not turning his head, he spoke, "I think this is the longest I've listened to him without being bored to tears." The lecture was over. Don't leave the camp unattended, don't eat anything not served by a cook or prepared carefully yourself, no alchemy outside the camp, no contraband, was the premise of the speech.

Roy ended with, "We need someone to dish out supper for the soldiers coming back late, so I'll need a few of you-"

"Right here!" Ed exclaimed.

With all that said and done, they went outside to wait for their turn to clean up. They would be given a map to find the facilities along with a care package to get them settled in tomorrow. "It's cold," said one of the men cleaning off.

"You first." Ed said.

"What does it matter?"

He rolled his eyes. "I suppose. Same time?" he pulled his soiled tank top off. "Ready?" he tugged his hair tie out. Mud was in his hair too.

Al picked up the bucket, mirroring his brother, "Ready." They both dumped the buckets of their heads and immediately shuttered from the shock as the water drained to the ground. "Should have taken this off first," he said, struggling to get the soaking wet article of clothing.

Ed dunked his shirt in a nearby bucket and squeezed its contents on his face, making sure to get the mud out of his bangs, which stuck to his face. While rinsing off, they hadn't noticed the girls had come to meet them. He looked up. "I didn't even see you two show up...something wrong?"

They stood in awe, "I-.." Winry stuttered. It wasn't the first time she saw him with his shirt off, but he was still a sight to behold, especially after a period of separation. All his training had paid off, his muscles were much more defined. Water collected in the creases of his six pack and biceps, most noticeably. "Not sure..."

Al didn't go unnoticed. His muscles were nowhere near as well defined as his brother's, he sported a very streamline look, a hint of abs shining through. "There's nothing wrong," Aria said as she and Winry managed to move closer. She was blushing, she and Al never really got the chance to get close, so this was the first time she saw him shirtless. The dull orange light gave both of them a healthy glow. Being around grown men for three solid weeks made Ed and Al feel like a silver lining. With only a few minutes available to chat, Ed headed off to the kitchen. Winry gave him instructions to her tent, they would meet up later. Work came first.

"First you dig out the train, now you're on kitchen duty," Roy said as he leaned over the counter to see his subordinate, filling bowl after bowl of a chunky stew, "dedication, I like it...this one needs more." He pointed directly down to a random bowl he hadn't actually looked at.

"It's fine. What do you want?" no doubt looking to poke his nose where it didn't belong.

"Was it trust?" He said out of place.

"Trust? Who?" Ed laid the ladle, he had mastered, down.

Roy got his attention. "About your woman."

He got defensive. "You're such a gossip."

"Was it?" he antagonized. "Avoiding the question makes you look like you don't want to say the answer." He gave that usual sly smile.

He stared blankly at Mustang "...have you been drinking?" Ed was used to Roy showing up at work half-snapped from the night before, this was what he was like, usually.

"Answer," he said, reaching into his coat. He pulled out a flask and took a drink.

"No," he began, "she was upset about being separated again. We had just gotten home, and I wanted to spend some time with her."

"Aww." Roy rested a cheek on his fist. "How adorable. Shrimps can love too."

Ed dropped what he was doing and rounded the counter. Getting close to Roy's face, he held a hand up to his forehead. "I've grown." His lower jaw protruded in aggression.

Roy examined his height, it was nearly on par with his own. Only off by a few inches. "So you have. I guess I can't call you bean sprout anymore."

"Damn right you can't." Ed turned, triumphantly, and went back behind the counter.

"I'll have to switch to bean pole soon," he chuckled.

"That's no way to treat a hardworking member of your team!" Nathan's voice echoed from behind him. The expression on his face read 'rage'. "Think name calling is appropriate for a Brigadier General? You should be ashamed."

Roy stood his ground as the much taller and darker man got in his face. "I should be. But I'm not." The two men squared off, chest puffed and pushing back and forth. Ed seemed to have gotten Nathan pegged right, a trouble maker. Before he could intervene, Nathan spoke again.

"How've you been you son of a bitch," he caught Roy around the shoulders and laughed as he ruffled his hair. "You know each other?"

Roy glanced to Ed, "You've made friends already? Fullmetal and I go back a bit."

"Fullmetal?"

Ed waved. "I had state alchemy license,"

"_Have_," Roy corrected him.

"Edward..." he held a hand to his chin, thinking, as he looked Ed over. "Now I know where I know you! I read about you in the paper. Had a good feeling about you from the beginning, that's why, you're the Fullmetal Alchemist."

Ed was flattered someone on the other side of the earth had heard about him. "Great as I am, I'm not much of an alchemist anymore, I can't even do alchemy," he tossed a drying towel over his shoulder. A hint of regret in his tone.

"That may be so, but all the knowledge you have is still vital," Roy picked up.

Nathan lit up another blunt, it was the same one from before, unfinished. "So what brings you dis way?"

Roy huffed. "Major General Armstrong still has a vendetta against me, so I was 'specially chosen' to come down here."

"Never got that date did'ja?" he held the cigar over the counter, "you want anymore of this?" implying he had some before. Roy raised an eyebrow as if to say 'more?'.

Ed shook his head. "Working," he attended to the cups he needed to dry. He was still feeling it a bit.

"I need to get back to my tent, if you want to give him a hand," Roy presented the kitchen, "he's a little slow."

"Hey! You stopped me to talk!"

"No problem." Nathan watched Roy leave and joined Ed in cleaning up the hall for the soldiers. They would be back at any moment. "You know Mustang?"

"Yeah. I did a lot of work for him over the last five years."

Nathan nodded, placing a dish to the side every few seconds. "He's a good man. Be sure to give him respect, he's a valuable ally."

There it was again. Ally. It seemed this guy wanted everyone on his side, for whatever end. Nathan hadn't done anything to break Ed's trust, but he was still going to remain on his toes."If you can tolerate his bad habit of not telling you everything."

This was met with more laughter. "That's Roy! He's not changed since we met. We worked together during the Ishbalan war. My father was the one who supplied the fuel for the tanks. We saw a lot of one another, got to know him good." Nathan was young at the time, so he was only doing paperwork. "He does keep things, but its never out of malice. He knows the penalty that information costs." His words had struck Ed, who now thought deeply. "Don't worry," he held the cigar out again, "Boss man ain't lookin'."

Hesitating, he took one more puff and they finished up the dishes, right on time. The men who were out that day were starting to pile in. After supper was done, Ed realized her hadn't put aside for himself. He looked in the pot to see if any was left. "Damn," he hung his head in shame. He was now starving.

Before going to see Winry, he made a brief stop to the showers. They were rigged up by some of the soldiers; primitive plumbing, it used gravity for water flow. Clean and changed, he remembered the instructions from Winry and made his way to the tent in question. Raising a hand to knock, he stopped and realized how stupid it was. "Winry?" he asked quietly through the fabric.

"Come in," she said.

Edward entered the large square tent and looked around, "Nice," the girls had decorated with flowers and a few vines. Some plants were drying on the table at the back.

"Most of this is Aria's, but I like it," she said touched a dried red petal. Ed approached and wrapped her in an embrace she had been missing for weeks. "She's taken Al to get his physical, you can wait till morning if you want."

"Sounds good." With no more words, he kissed her. It felt like new, being back in her arms. He led her to a bed and laid her on her back. Perching over her, he kissed the length of her neck. "I missed you," he said, muffled through his kisses, but came back up to see her eye to eye.

"Same. I've been so busy, I haven't had a break this whole time," she backed herself up on the bed, egging him closer. "I could go for some stress release," she said with a smile.

His body still felt light from the cigar, but nothing that she seemed to be noticing. "What did you want to..." he wasn't sure if she was suggesting anything beyond what they've already done.

She whispered in his ear.

He smirked, "I can do that," and with that, threw the blankets over them, giving a little more privacy if someone walked in.

* * *

AN: Yeah, I made up the other country. Roll with it, kay?


	11. Chapter 11 Change

I wanted to point out, the names of the chapters are things that have a profound effect on people. Things that are 'deeply rooted' in someone's personality. (Except for 'stones and reeds' they just have roots. ;P)

**EDIT:** I censored it and made the dialogue more 'Elric'.

* * *

**Chapter 11 - Change**

* * *

With yawn and stretch, Ed rose to greet the day. "Here I thought I'd be losing sleep. Hey," he looked at Al who was still asleep. Face down. "Time to rise and shine! Got work to do, Al."

The most he could manage was a mumble. Unfortunately he hadn't had such a good sleep. He woke up in the middle of the night and couldn't doze off again. "Just a few more minutes." He turned his head away.

Camp was up as soon as the sun was, some even before hand. Since the delay with the train, they were permitted to sleep in. "Come on, lunch is getting made," he could smell the kebabs roasting on a nearby fire.

"Mmm...fine, give me a minute," pushing himself up, he pulled his knees beneath him. His hair went every which way. A quick ruffle set it straight.

Ed rolled his eyes, "Too long. I'm getting started without you," he left the tent, lucidly following the scent trail.

Alphonse sighed, "Patients is a virtue." Rushing to get up while running on four hours sleep didn't sound like something he wanted to do. His blankets were wrapped around him like a cocoon. Standing up to shake them to his feet, they got stuck at waist level and didn't fall completely. He quickly sat back down. This had happened a few times before, but he never asked if it was normal or not, Ed never mentioned it happening to him. What he was referring to was a 'morning wood'.

He laid still and tried to think of things to calm him down. For some reason the only images that came to mind were ones that didn't work. Particularly a certain day earlier that summer.

Aria was in little shorts and a snug tee, sitting on the front porch eating watermelon. It dripped down her chin and down her chest. Not that a girl eating sloppily was sexy, but she never turned away completely to blot herself off. Tugging the shirt down a little in the front to get all the juice. Much like the time she leaned over on the couch and he saw clear down her shirt. Being short had its advantages, for him. "Aaaaah." Al yelled into his pillow in frustration.

"Yo'kay?" Nathan's voice came from the other side of the tent.

Al blushed furiously, "Yeah-uh...no...I think."

The Remician man entered the tent and saw Al, still face down on his bed. "Sick?"

"No," he said, muffled through his pillow.

"What's troubling you?"

He blushed. "...I don't know...I'm having..."

Nathan looked at the boy, crumpled on the bed. He appeared to be really uncomfortable. "...Can't help you if you don't talk, boy," he gave him a reassuring look.

He sighed and just came out with it. "I'm...stiff."

Blinking a few times he did a bit of linguistic math in his head. English not being his first language, slang was very difficult to keep track of. "Oh," he said suddenly, "How old'r you?"

"Almost fifteen. Does that matter?"

He laughed, "You got Morning Wood."

It finally had a name he could call it. "Yeah, okay, is it normal?"

He nodded. "Yup,"

He thought that was a little crule. "Well then...how do I make it go away?"

"You could either wait it out or...hmm...don't believe I know the English word for that," he gave it some deep thought.

Alphonse held up a hand, "It's okay, I know what you mean. I'll just wait."

"Here," Nathan laid down a plate of roasted veggies and some meat kebabs on his night stand. "I'll tell them you had a hard time getting going."

"Sure, thanks." With that, he left. Al wondered if Nathan realized the pun he made. Finishing the food, the offense persisted. Maybe a shower would help. He gave the thought of relieving himself, but didn't want to do so in a public shower.

Making sure to carry his towel low, he made it to the shower tent without incident. Turning the tap allowed for a single stream of water to fall from the overhead pipe. The structure was genius. A sturdy frame was built and tent fabric was fastened to it. Each stall was done in the same way, except it had a rod stretching from one side of the room to the other. Shower curtains hung from it and segmented the showers into eight sections. The floor was mostly clay-dirt, but in the places that you needed to walk, were two planks separating your feet from the floor. Beneath the planks was a basic drainage system that led far away from the camp.

Outside was a large, newly constructed, water tower. Each morning, soldiers would pump water into it and throughout the day, the sun would warm it. No hot showers while they were there, but it was better than bathing in the river. Plus, this was a great way to avoid crocodile attacks; the whole reason it was built in the first place. A small plaque with a soldier's face adorned the front entrance, the only soldier to lose his life to a crocodile.

Al soaped up his hair, trying to think more about the structure of the building rather than his own issue. Sadly, that didn't work either.

"Al?" a girls voice came from behind him.

"...yes?" he asked timidly, momentarily forgetting the shower was co-ed.

Aria stepped closer to the sound of the water, "You alright?" she sounded worried. "Ed said you couldn't get out of bed. I was wondering what was wrong. Are you feeling alright?"

"I'm fine," she wasn't helping, she was making it worse. '_Watermelon, mmm_'.

"..." she was trying not say it outright. "A hard time getting out of bed?"

He face-palmed, "They're just being rude, ignore them." She could help him, though he hadn't gotten that far with her.

Aria's feet hit the floor in front of the stall Al was in. She was barefoot. "Al? Do you want me to leave?" she inquired.

"...do you want to leave?" Maybe she _was_ suggesting something.

"Nope," she said, "Because I think I can help," she innocently doodled her finger on his back through the curtain.

His gaze went blank. His face grew hot, the water falling from the shower as chilly on his face. "..."

After a few moments of the problem seemed to vanish. He commented that her green thumb was accompanied by another talent. She shoved him out of the shower tent before he finished naming said 'talent'. Aria stayed behind to clean.

Al saw someone at the end of the path with their back turned to the bath house. Upon further inspection, he could see it was is brother. The thought of turning around and making his way through some trees crossed his mind, but then he thought, '_He told her?_' "What are you doing?" he seemed flustered.

Ed turned around, he had a rifle in his hands, the strap held it over his shoulder. "Standing guard."

Al got close to him, "Why did you tell her to come find me?" he was kind of angry, this sort of thing was suppose to be private. He couldn't be too mad though, things _had_ went well.

"That sort of thing happens in the morning," he shrugged, "And I figured I'd lend you a h-"

Alphonse placed a hand over his brother's face before he could finish his sentence. "Just, shut up."

He snickered and moved his brother's hand away, "I didn't send her in. She overheard Nathan mentioning it, I think." He referenced the gun on his shoulder, "I meant standing here," he clicked the trigger a few times, pointing away from anything living. "I saw her go in and thought you might need a second line of defense. That tiny '_closed for cleaning_' card fell off."

He looked relieved. "Sometimes I wonder if I should be thankful or not," they walked side by side. "How come 'that' never happened to you?"

"Its happened to me," he said.

"Really? You never led on that anything was wrong." He thought it might have been the reason for the trench coat.

Edward shrugged, "I was growing up, and you weren't. I didn't feel right mentioning it." Ed realized this was the same thing Roy was doing. Withholding information to protect him.

"I wouldn't have cared. I knew we were going to succeed."

"So optimistic. You say that now, but it might not have been the same response four years ago."

The rest of the day was hard work followed by difficult work. They were building guns. Neither of the Elrics were that fond of guns, but they wouldn't be the ones using them. "I still don't like it," Al said, clipping another piece together, "These things are ominous."

"Would you rather haul more bails of rice?" Ed queried.

"Yes I would."

"Or maybe you'd rather go clean the bathroom," he couldn't help but snicker.

Al sighed, "Cut it out."

"Don't be so prude," he joked.

"Save that tongue for the lady friend," he was going to stoop to Ed's level for this one.

Ed blushed, "This stopped being fun suddenly."

He smiled at his victory; another spat he diffused. "Agr**eed**." His voice dropped an octave. Startled by the sound he made, he held his throat.

"What was that?"

"No idea."

He would soon come to realize in the weeks to come what had happened, and was going to continue to happen. "Could you **pass me**-" he coughed, "Pass me that." He got during kitchen duty the following day.

Later that week, "**When's supper**?" again, cough, "I think I'm coming down with someth**ing**."

A few days after that, it got even worse. "**I don't know,**how we can hold it together," he was referring to a pulley system Winry was making to make moving things easier if they were too heavy. He cleared his throat again. "If we drilled a hole in **the side, we could**-" he grunted, "**fix it to the base. Dammit**!" he yelled.

"Go get it looked at," Winry said, "If it's contagious you could infect the patients." She began shoving him toward the door, his feet left two trails where he was directed, "I'll do what you said, but keep your distance," and out the front door.

Taking her advice to heart, he went to the triage nurse located in a separate tent next door. "Excuse me," Al said as he walked in.

The nurse was dozed off at his desk but came to when Al came in, "What can I do for you?"

"I think I have a **cold**," he cleared his throat again, "It's been doing that for days now, and **its getting worse.**"

Leading Al to an examination table. "How old are you?"

Remembering Nathan asked him that same question, he thought they may have been connected. "**Wait...I think I know what **it is."

"You should still let me take a look," he suggested.

"**Sure**," he said and so the examination proceeded. He checked the glands in his neck and looked down his throat. "Aaa**aaaaa**aah," he said in traditional 'say aah' fashion.

He removed the tongue depressor. "Your voice is changing. I don't see anything to worry about."

"How long will it take?" he managed to say the whole sentence without cracking.

"A few months."

"**Months**?" not that time.

"Yup. We all go through it," he said with his deep voice, "I didn't sound like this my whole life. And don't cough so hard, you'll do more harm than good."

Al nodded, "True. Thanks," he left. First it was the 'stiff' and now it's a 'squeak'. On a lighter note, he and Aria had moved along in their relationship. They actually made it to a bedroom the next time they were together. Still a little awkward, but that was to be expected. "I **can't win**."

"Sure you can!" Ed slapped him on the back. He came from nowhere. "What did the doc say?" though it was a nurse who examined him.

"My **voice is **changing," he was beginning to not care about the dip in his pitch.

"That's something I didn't get. Heh, squeaky." he wondered why, throwing a taunt in there.

"'Cause you're still a **shrimp**," he said and took off, his brother hot on his heels.

He went in rage mode. "You grow one inch taller than me and you think you're on top of the world! I'll beat you down till I can use you as a stepping stool!"

"You'd need a stepping stool to get up on a stepping stool!" he taunted back.

Going into a mad dash, he caught up to Al and run-tackled him. "RAH!" They rolled and scuffled on the ground, getting dirty again. As if they hadn't had enough of mud on the trip here.

"This won't do!" a large voice boomed over them and they felt two large hands grab them by the back of their shirts. "What's the problem?" It was Armstrong, he held them up to his eye level.

"He called me a shrimp!"

"He said I was squeaky!"

"Squeaky?" he obviously didn't know what was going on. They had just arrived on the last train that day. Denny and Maria were more than likely with him.

"Go ahead Al, tell him," he narrowed his eyes. "Say something..."

"..." he remained silent.

"Alphonse?" Armstrong said with seriousness.

"My **voice is **changing," the 'squeak' couldn't have been more perfectly timed.

He laid them down and laid a sympathetic hand on the younger of the two's shoulder. "Puberty is a beautiful thing! Don't be ashamed!" at this point, he whisked his shirt off. "You must embrace the change! Hold this note!" he sung a low note for Al to copy.

"I don't sing..."

"Don't be shy, just sing! Work the vocal cords! Make them strong!" he broke out into a local folk song from back home. He had amazing control, several villagers gathered around to watch the spectacle. His arms were spread out as if he were conducting an orchestra.

This gave enough distraction for them to slip away. "You can sing, brother."

Ed grabbed his arm and twisted it, bringing him to his knees. He got close to his ear, "and that's something you take to the grave," he let go and stood him up. "Wait...how did you know I..."

"The shower room is just a glorified tent. Just so you know." he smirked and walked away.

"Heh, funny, Al...seriously?" he gulped and followed his sibling. When you think no one's listening, they always are. Always listening and judging.

* * *

I hope you enjoy the changes. (lol, get it? Changes? heh)


	12. Chapter 12 Losing You

I was speaking the chapter out loud to proof read, and I came to the line 'up and running around nine'. I would say it 'U'pin'runnin n'roun'nine'. Never realized my accent was that thick...interesting.

Chapter 12 - Losing You

With one groggy eye following the other, both slowly flickered into the light. Alphonse let out a belligerent groan to the offending trumpets signaling the beginning of the day. Seven in the morning shouldn't have been allowed. He had turned fifteen yesterday. With a sore head and achy gut he sat up. Chicha was a brew made by the local women and consumed during times of celebration. It was an alcohol made from corn, yuca root and a few citrus fruits. It was citrus-ey to the taste buds. He only had a single glass, it was strange for him to be so out of sorts.

Regardless, Alphonse rose to his feet and held his temples. They throbbed. Looking to his side he saw that his brother was still asleep, snoring. Debating back and forth whether or not to wake him up, he decided against it and got dressed for the day.

The rainy season upon them. He stuck his arms outside, into the falling precipitation and rubbed his face with his cooled hands. Concern was something on his mind. Last night was fun, bonfires, food and song, but there was also drink. To which Roy partook. A lot. Alphonse heard Ed talking to him, the conversation went something like 'you're drunk again?' to which Roy responded 'Again? Still.' and sauntered off.

It seemed Mustang's crew had deduced why he had fallen so far. It was Riza.

Back in Central it was the first snowfall, now they were covered in a solid foot of the fluffy white stuff. Central headquarters was finally up and running around nine. All the regular early risers were starting to show up, along with all the rest of the staff. Normally business would begin at six, but since they needed to be dug out first, no one could get in any earlier. Coffee was just beginning to be brewed and sipped by the staff.

"Was this all he left?" Riza spoke as she looked at Mustang's work load he left before he went south (In more ways than one). She was expecting to be at it for weeks, but got everything tied up in a few days. She had her own work to tend to, but being as far behind as Mustang was, she had to do it for him. He could be so slow at times, it was a wonder that he was promoted. It was also a wonder they didn't get sent together, but at the same time it wasn't. Normally when you signed up for Roy, you got Riza in the same package. "Hmm?" she pondered.

"Do you miss him?" Sheska said from a nearby book shelf as if she knew Riza was thinking about him.

"Somewhat," she said and continued working.

"Why didn't you go with him?"

"They wanted me here. I'm sure there's any number of reasons, but one comes to mind."

"Oh?"

"A test," she said straightening some documents, "to see if he can make it on his own," she said with displeasure. "They want to see if he's improved since Ishbal." Riza knew the higher-ups noticed her babying him, doing his work and such, they were tired of it, or jealous. "Slapping him with a promotion and then shipping him out was their way of saying 'enough'."

Sheska 'sweat-dropped', "Harsh," she sighed, "do you think he can do it?" Sheska knew as well as anyone else, through the grape vine, that Mustang suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder. Shell shocked.

"He'll manage, it'll just take longer since I'm not there, I hope. Take these down," she handed her some papers without making eye contact.

Sheska paused and looked at the documents, Roy's name was foraged. "Have you heard from him?"

"Yes," she flipped over another paper and wrote some things down on it, "He's being difficult," she said and rubbed her hands together. "Could you ask them to turn up the heat while you're downstairs."

Central was beginning a snap freeze, even the river had a thin sheet of glass over top. The further south you traveled, the warmer it got. When you reached Resembool, it was cold, but with a light dusting of snow; by the time you reached Aerugo, it was a hot house. Riza envied them.

Many of the volunteers complained about the heat, Aria didn't mind, she was used to the warm wet weather. Glade, her home town, was always balmy, warm and wet, deep in the valley. "I swear this is the last one," she said and climbed another large crest in the walking path, "it's right here," and disappeared from sight.

"Hold on," Breda said as he made his way behind her, slightly out of breath.

She looked at him with sympathy, "I really didn't think it'd be this far out." Looking over her sheet one last time, she compared a picture to a leaf growing on a nearby tree. It didn't belong said tree, rather a vine that was growing around it. "I think this is it," careful not to miss one attribute, "Yup," she said cheerfully and began gathering the foliage in a basket she had brought. The leaf wasn't medicine, like her normal plants she chased, this one was a spice. Alphonse had showed her a recipe from a local man and he wanted to give it a try; then, after prying ears overheard them talking, she was gathering spice for the whole camp to try. The moment they heard it wasn't a 'hot' spice, everyone clamored for it.

"Great. Just give me a second to rest," he laid his gun at his side and rested against a tree, "this hangover's killin' me." He rubbed his head.

Aria paused and looked through her bag. "I have something for that," she emerged with a paper transmutation circle and a few herbs.

"Hold up, no alchemy outside the base," to which they were just outside the main gate, only a kilometer.

She shrugged, "It's only an anti-nauseant." Alchemy outside the camp was forbidden on the grounds that there were many illicit substances that could be made and brought in. Keeping the drug problem to a minimum was something they needed to focus on. The speculation was that opium poppy, a potent narcotic, was in the area. It was sought after by the terrorists.

Breda thought about it, he wasn't feeling well and this would take the edge off, "Alright, keep it small." He looked around to see if anyone was nearby. The coast was clear, he gave her to 'okay'.

With a quick motion she placed the ingredients in the circle and a small reaction later, a handful of brown pills appeared. She passed them to Breda, "Two now, and repeat each hour till you feel better."

Finally gathering a throng of leaves, she headed back. The dish for supper that night was going to be chicken kebabs, spiced with this new flavour, lemon leaf, Aria called it. It went over well, not a stick was left. Ed scraped the bottom of the pot. "How did I manage to do this twice," he lowered the pot and looked disappointed. Once again he forgot to save one for himself. He had grabbed two kebabs for himself and forgot to get the stew that went with it.

"Here," Winry said from behind him, holding two bowls, "You got so caught up."

He saw the food and immediately took it. "Thank you," he said and sat at an empty nearby table.

"No problem," she smiled and dug in.

Edward agreed to be on permanent kitchen duty, in the hopes to save the best portions for himself, which he forgot to do today. Mid bowl, he saw Al come in, he didn't look very lively. "Good morning," he said all too pleased with himself, "sleep well?"

"No," he said and sat at the table, immediately putting his head to rest, "I don't know why I feel so bad."

"Probably my fault," he said and drank the broth of his stew, "Every time you looked away, I poured my drink into yours," still being too young to drink, they were each only allowed one glass of chicha.

"Why would you do that?" he grumbled.

"I didn't like it,"

"Then pour it out."

"I didn't want to offend the 'brew master'."

"Then why didn't you-oh...I'm too sick for this. Is there any food left?" he discarded his argument.

"No stew, but there are some sandwiches," Winry said, "I'll grab you one." She went to fetch one for him. She had done the same thing as Ed, but didn't want to admit it. She didn't like sour, and the drink was too much for her.

"I did have fun last night," he said, shutting his eyes as he waited for his food, "I don't quite remember going to bed."

"You didn't. You fell asleep by the fire and I had to carry you back to the tent."

"That's your fault."

"I know. I like to think you'd do the same for me."

He laughed, "Spike your drink? Sure."

Another train that day dropped off some more volunteers and Ed was anxious to see if 'he' had come along. Ling. It May have only been a rumor, but he heard people from Xing were being dropped off today. "I doubt it," Al said, "he's royalty. He's got a country to run."

"Not necessarily," he said, "The emperor hasn't passed yet." Cautiously, he watched the faces coming out of the briefing tent. He brightened up, "Hey, look who it is," and extended his finger to point.

"It's May," Al waved, "May!" He cringed, the volume of his own voice hurt his head.

"Alphonse-sama," she chimed and bolted in his direction. Her steps grew slow as she got closer, "You're looking better, but-" she could tell he wasn't up to par.

He smiled, "I stayed up a little late last night."

"I can fix you up with something, come on," she took Al's wrist and brushed past Ed, she gave a nod of recognition. "Energy and lots of protein. You'll feel rejuvenated."

He watched his younger sibling be whisked away by the little girl from Xing and smiled. He only had his body back for half a year now and was already turning heads. Edward hated to admit it, but he felt Al's height gave him an advantage. He had Winry though, so it really didn't matter. Turning around to face the entrance again, he had a nose dangerously close to his.

"Hello friend," an overly pleasant Ling beamed.

This introduction knocked Ed backward a few paces, "What did I tell you about doing that?" he said while he composed himself. "You ended up coming after all. Wonderful." He rolled his eyes.

"Yes. I've been meaning to come visit this country for a while. Now that I'm here, I wish I'd have come sooner." He eyed his surroundings, tropical trees, dirt paths and a river, not too far away. "What made you come all this way? I never took you to be the 'good Samaritan' type."

"I am so! Besides, Winry and Aria were drafted. We came down to protect them," he looked at the smile on Lings face, "what?"

"Oh nothing. I never knew you two were a couple. I thought she was your mechanic."

"Things change. How's Ran-Fan doing? Is she here?" she had gotten automail and he was curious to how she was adapting.

"She's back home. She's not just taking care of herself anymore," he said with a twinge of pride.

"Oh, did you two get a dog?"

Ling face palmed, "No. She's pregnant."

"Who's is it?"

Ling collapsed from Ed's vacancy. "Mine."

"No way. You're too stupid."

"To have kids or make them?"

"Both," he snarked. "Seriously though, really?"

He nodded.

Ed was shocked, "You aren't joking...don't you think you're a little young?" He knew Ling was the same age as him, in fact younger. Why was he having a family so soon?

"We didn't plan on it. I only found out a few days ago on the way here. Anyway, show me around friend," he said and looped his arm around Ed's neck, picking up a new conversation where the other one didn't leave off.

"What did I tell you about calling me that?" Ling caused him to slouch a little but he looked up, "Hold on!" He stood in front of him and held a hand on top of his own head and lined up the top of his head with Ling's. "HA! Alright, you've earned points, let's go," he said in a positive tone.

Slightly confused, he followed Ed. "Points?"

They briefly stopped in to say hello to Alphonse, who was watching May boil something at their small tent fire. Each tent had a vent in the top above a small fire pit, to let the heat out. The tents were flame resistant. The vent had a flap to cover when it rained. They had everything to sustain themselves in their small square patch of land.

Al waved goodbye and May bowed in respect. "You've warmed up to Ling nicely," he said. She was originally quite sour with him; since he vowed to protect her clan, she had made peace. Al blew on his cup of 'potion'. It was many small seeds boiled into a thick brew that was chalk full of nutrition. It was chunky but tasted sweet, so it was only a matter of getting past the texture.

"Yes," she said with some regret, "But I'm not in line for the throne anymore."

He smiled, "Don't worry. He promised to take care of you, that's a lot more than anyone can say. Besides, isn't this going to be less stressful?"

Tears welled up in her eyes and threw herself at Al's feet, "It's not! Alphonse-sama, please come back to my country with me!"

He was shocked, "What? Why-not that I don't-why so frantic?" he stammered.

She dried her eyes, "I feel so alone now that our clan fell in the ranks. When the story of Ling's fortune got around, many of our people defected to his clan. Some even left the castle to be simple servants or farmers. We lost our best scholars as well. You're so kind and insightful, I don't care what they think of you not being from Xing. Please marry me! You would be such an addition to our clan!"

Alphonse blushed, "I care about you a lot May. But this is my home."

"Make Xing your home. We can study alchistry together. You said you wanted to learn it, right? Please," she begged. Her cheeks were flushed in red as she sniffled.

Al knew the idea of learning alchistry appealed to him, but getting married? That was out of the picture. Becoming an inhabitant of Xing was also out of the question. He was at a loss for words. He wanted to tell her that he only wanted to learn Xing alchistry, but he wasn't looking forward to telling her that was all. "Uh..." he hesitated, "Give me some time to think about it."

"Great!" she hugged him and he had to steady his drink, "I know you'll say yes. I can feel it." She stood up, "I need to go talk to my team leader," they were assigned groups to avoid confusion, "I'm going to see if I can be transferred to your team. I can show you some techniques while we're here."

Before he could get a word in edgewise, she was gone. "...oh well."

"Oh well?" Aria entered.

"Hmm?" He looked at her.

"What was all that?" She laid a plate of food down and didn't say another word but tapped an accusing foot. He had better not have been leading on a young girls heart in the name of alchemy.

"Heh," he said with an awkward pause, "she's got a little crush."

"She asked you to marry her," she said with a snicker, "more like a full blown infatuation." Aria leaned over and gave him a peck on the cheek. "What's there to think about? You should be honest with her."

"Yeah...but she was crying. I kind of want her to calm down first."

"True. Hope you like it." She handed him the food then left.

Before entering the hospital tent May appeared in the doorway. She held the flap open and stared her rival in the eye."He's going to leave you, I'll win his heart."

"May, right?" She tried to give the girl a reassuring smile, and made sure she sounded sincere, "You may not be aware He's still young by our culture's standards, he's not interested in getting married yet."

"You better not step on my toes." She disregarded her logic, "I come from a wealthy family, I have so much more to offer him than a farm girl."

Aria gave it a second thought, this girl was smaller than she originally thought, but that meant nothing. "You seem determined," Aria was growing nervous. She knew about this girl from Ed and Al's stories, she was quite the fighter. Sadly Aria wasn't. If May so chose, she could turn her into a pretzel. "Oh, maybe..."

"What?" She stepped close, rising to her toes, she came up to Aria's chin. So close.

"Maybe it would be best...if you didn't get your hopes up, so much."

"Really? He didn't mention you...Sounds like he's considering my offer," she said and folded her arms smugly.

"Give him some time, I'm sure he will give you an answer." Aria smiled meekly, "Only time will tell, right?"

May nodded and lowered back to flat feet, "That should give you time to say goodbye." With that she did an amazing flip to her side and over top a large bush. Disappearing completely.

"..." she stared on in horror. "Dear God...help." Hoping things would blow over, she went on with the day's work. Later on in the afternoon she passed Al and pulled him aside. "Should I be afraid?"

"Of May?" He saw her nod frantically. "No. She won't hurt you."

She looked down an alley way, arms folded, holding her elbows. "She seems aggressive. I think she can handle you telling her that you don't want to go."

"But I kind of do."

Aria held her palms hands up in a shrug.

"I want to study Alchistry, but if I tell her I'm not interested in her, she may not want to have me even visit."

Aria's eye twitched, "You are leading her on," she grabbed his by the scruff and shook him lightly, "She could kill me! You tell her the truth!" Before she knew it, a large wooden pole slapped the ground at her feet, scaring her back. She looked up to see May.

The young girl was holding a bamboo pole tight to the ground with enough force that the wood bent under the pressure. "Remove yourself!" she demanded.

"We're cool," she took a step back.

"Alphonse-sama," she said with force and pointed the pole at him, not menacingly, rather to draw attention to him, "what is your decision?"

"May..."he tried to gather words, but nothing came out.

"Alphonse," Aria said, she wanted him to tell her the truth, so she sound rather annoyed. May noticed this and gave her a light crack in the head. "OW!" she yelped and held her head.

Al's eyes widened.

"Answer the way you want! Not the way she wants you to!" she said, she sounded as though she were instilling him with courage.

And so she did, he gave his honest answer. "I can't go with you May..."

May bit her lip and held back a sob. "Fine," she shouted and pointed the stick to Aria to draw her attention, "You may have won for now, but this isn't over! I can still win his heart fair and square! I have a year here, so prepare yourself!" And in a flash, she was gone.


	13. Chapter 13 Peaceful Resolve

Chapter 13 Peaceful Resolve

A large fire was the centerpiece for the day. Low music rumbled in the background; to the trained ear, they spoke of a coming meteor shower. I stunning display was going to tear across the sky during the early hours of darkness till the morning light. The tiny village buzzed with excitement, the weather was kind and allowed a glimpse at the spectacle that only came once every few hundred years.

"And we get to see it," Aria beamed when she heard the news. Her old village was normally too foggy to see the stars at night. The steam would bellow in from the nearby ocean, cloaking the night sky in a wisp of white.

They couldn't wait, the celebration was going to be phenomenal. The people native to the land were highly religious and the 'coming of stars'(when directly translated), was celebrated in the most lavish way possible. Every kind of meat available, hearty brews, music and dancing. It would begin as soon as the sun dipped toward the horizon. The drums began and the songs came in, welcoming the mystic event as early as sunrise.

"I could get used to this," Edward announced as he filled his plate with each piece of food at the buffet. Since the celebration was all day, food was abundant at all times. With other villagers coming from all around bringing their own platters, the visiting military meant the food was beyond plentiful.

"Use to...eating more? I think you already got that down," Al stared on in horror at the amount of food on his brother's plate. "You'll tear your stomach lining."

"Shut up, I didn't take that much," he said, examining the perimeter of his plate for any fault lines. "I didn't want to ask, but what went on yesterday? May seemed pretty intense." He caught a glimpse of May cornering Aria at the medical facility entrance.

"She's got a crush on me and is being..." he couldn't think of a word that wasn't too defacing, but couldn't find one.

"She's taking her frustration out on Aria by attacking her?"

"Yeah," Al sighed. "I wish I knew what to do. I told her the truth, but that did not go well. I want to study Alchistry, and going with her, I could do that with ease."

"Sounds like you got yourself a pickle," and he reached out and stole a baby dill pickle from the top of his plate. It was one of the sweet ones, and the last one too. "You're on your own with this one." He turned and popped the gherkin as he walked off. Ed wanted to know about the drama, though he did not wish to participate.

"You-ugh..." Al drummed his fingers on the table in frustration, his brother was so useless at times. It looked like he was stuck.

"May I lend a hand with May?" Ling said from Al's side.

He was startled, "When did you-?" 'get here' was telepathically read.

"A second ago. So, do you?"

"I suppose," this was really the first time he got to interact with Ling. He was full of energy, and very stealthy; never a good combination.

"May is going through some troubles at her estate. She's looking for attachment. Maybe if you just lend an ear for a while, that may be enough."

"...uh?"

"She wants to feel close to someone. May isn't thinking rationally right now, calm her down and get her to realize what she's doing."

Alphonse looked at him with sheer confusion, "...should I make her some tea...?"

"Hold her, close." he said sweetly.

"What?" he exclaimed, "She's only a little girl. That's wrong."

"You don't have to mean anything by it," he brushed off Al's outburst with a waving hand.

"Even still," he said, rubbing the backs of his own arms, "Its creepy. She's a good friend, and a sweet girl, but seriously, I can't do that-"

"Come on Al, this guy is useless." Ed pulled him along and far away from Ling.

When they were far enough away, Ling turned to face a bush behind him, "I told you he'd say that. It's not worth pursuing. I suggest dropping it," and walked off.

"No! I will do this!" May popped out from said bush and stormed off, the bush still covering her.

Ling was hoping this would be enough to deter May's advances, though it seemed it had no impact. She was proving to be a nuisance right from the start, which was not acceptable. Ling knew she had to marry someone in her own country, had she picked Al, she would have shamed her people. While he wasn't one to judge others based on race, being as well traveled as he was, he understood that there were many ways of living. Back home, she needed to adhere to her own customs and remain friends with the younger Elric brother.

May seemed to be more in favor of mischief. It was only the beginning, so it seemed she was beginning mildly. Aria found a bug in her soup, at the bottom. The shower curtain fell down mysteriously, luckily her hair was long enough to cover everything. Her sandals went missing, only to be found later that day, at the top of a flag pole. "This is getting tiresome," she said, running her shoes down the line.

"And its only been a day," Ed mocked. He was enjoying watching from afar.

"She even went through with the transfer, she's a tent over from us now." Al had mentioned to her that May was going to be transferred to Mustang's team, and ended up getting it. "I know she's going to stick my hand in warm water tonight."

He laughed, "That doesn't really work, you know?"

"That's good to know. I bet she'll still try." Aria bent down and laced her sandals around her ankles.

"I wonder..." Ed folded his arms to think, "Maybe if she saw Al as less desirable, maybe she would back off."

Aria rolled her eyes, "Too bad she wasn't here for his birthday, that might have worked."

They both went silent and looked at one another with a knowing stare. "...he won't do it again," Ed shot the idea down.

"It's for a good cause?" Again with the silent stare, "It's worth asking."

He inhaled slowly as he thought, giving the notion a bit more oxygen, "Alight," he said with the gathered breath. "I'll run it by him. You never know." So he went to ask.

"No way," Alphonse said immediately.

Ed knew he would say 'no'. He had only stepped in the tent and didn't even get to finish the thought before Al refused. "Come on, reasoning with a child isn't going to work. She has to see you're not all that's cracked up to be," his words earned him a stabbing glare from his brother. "Not that you aren't," he nervously corrected himself, "You only have to make her _think_ you're not."

Al led his brother to a nearby fire and sat next to him. The sun had started going down, so the festival was beginning to pick up and many bonfires were being lit. "I don't want her to dislike me either," he said, not too thrilled about coming across as a lush.

"She won't, I-"

"This is revenge. Isn't it?" He cocked his head in Ed's direction.

"Revenge for what?" he said, no longer able to contain the smirk.

He huffed and and folded his arms, "I knew it! Revenge for taunting you when he took that medicine," he declared.

He hadn't thought of that, he found it amusing, but when presented with the idea, "Okay, it serves as both," he admitted.

"You're terrible."

"I am not. My methods are unconventional."

"Ehh," he grunted, "I'll do it, but if this doesn't work, you're not allowed to help anymore."

"Hey! You were the one who asked for help in the first place."

"I know. And I'll ask you to stop too." The sun finally went down, stars lit up and before too long, thin strips of light cut the sky. "They really do look like they're falling." Al stared up in awe.

Aria leaned next to Ed, "I haven't seen him touch a drink, I thought he agreed to do this?" she asked with nervous anticipation. May had been giving her the stink eye all night, she was plotting something, so Aria remained on constant alert.

"Oh, he agreed, look," he said and pointed to Nathan sitting next to Alphonse. Nathan had a large cigar in his hand. "Al didn't want to be sick again, so I suggested this. And here we are," he said referencing the wind taking the smoke in Al's direction. The longer they sat there the more Al 'felt numb', as he described it.

The plan worked! May didn't stay at the celebration long. She got too awkward and retreated to her tent for an early night. Al spent a good chunk of the night asking questions about everything, talking philosophy with the locals who spoke English, even faith, and the afterlife. Ed made sure he was kept busy talking to the people around him, for if he had a break, May would most likely move in. He glimpsed May peeking a few times from a bush far away.

After a while, he calmed down and laid on his back near a small fire. May approached him. "Alphonse-sama, can I talk with you," she asked shyly.

"Sure," Alphonse's energy wore off and he was enjoying a gentle rest near the popping fire. It seemed his plan only worked temporarily.

"I heard what you said to Ling. I'm too young, Right?"

Al sighed, she seemed so sad. "Yeah, but that doesn't mean I can't still be a friend."

"Its not the same."

"I know. But that's how its gotta be," he gently leaned his head to the side, "Please, understand."

May nodded. "I understand," she said and reached behind her back to a bag she had brought. She emerged with a book and laid it in front of Al, along with another book on top of it. "I want you to have this. If you won't come to Xing, you can have this, at least. It's my first alchistry book and a dictionary to translate it."

"...May," he picked up the book with amazement, "this is the awesome. Thank you," He paused, "May, I still wouldn't mind visiting you in Xing. I just don't want to get married."

The young girl blushed and waved her hands in front of her, "I hadn't realized it when I said it, but that was so silly of me to say. I meant to be 'sired' with me. Become my student. In my language, those two words are the same, so I mixed them up. Sometimes my English isn't that good," she laughed. She was lying, but how was he going to be able to tell? Maybe if he thought she didn't want to actually get married, she'd have a chance to change his mind about his feelings for her.

Alphonse gave a chuckle, "I see. I wouldn't mind that, so long as it isn't something permanent."

She shook her head happily, "It doesn't have to be." Quickly changing face, she pouted, "and I guess you can bring her along too." Her lips looked like fish lips as she spoke. May wanted it to look like she wasn't trying to separate them, so this made it look less suspicious.

He brightened, "Seriously? That's very kind of you."

May smiled, her plan was set in motion, "That's means a lot coming from Alphonse-sama." In the time Alphonse would be studying with her, she would grow older. Soon the gap wouldn't matter. It was a lot of waiting, but any good hunter knew that timing was essential. She heard a branch break behind her making her do a shoulder check. May became nervous, "I'd better leave."

"How come?" He tried to see what she was seeing.

"The people with the masks!" she said and pointed in horror. Apparently she didn't feel awkward with all the misogyny, it was the scary masks, they were spooking her.

Al looked toward the play that was going on at the nearby stage. There were demons surrounding a warrior. The men and women playing the demons had large masks with contorted faces that covered nearly their entire bodies. They were painted white with streaks of reds, yellows and greens to appear more menacing. The actors bounced around, chanting and screaming for this damned soul.

"Its the story of how their version of God cam to be. I think this is the first act." He sat facing the stage. "They're not that scary-huh?" he said and looked to his right, May was peeking from behind him, as if she were cornered by a tiger. Despite her strength and how big she could be on the inside, she could also be such a little girl at times.

After May couldn't stand the masks anymore, she went back to her own tent. When the coast was clear Ed slipped in next to Alphonse. He sat with an arm casually slung over a knee, the other balanced him upright. "How did it go?"

With pride he said, "Very well." He looked at his brother, "So well that Aria and I have been invited to Xing to study alchistry with May."

"She agreed to that?" he sounded shocked.

"Yeah. I'm not sure if Aria will be learning with me, but she's been extended the invitation to come along as a guest."

Ed scoffed, "May will probably put her to work in the fields," he said and snickered.

"I'm sure she'd be good at it. Hell, she'd probably offer to go help in the fields." He squinted, thinking deeply, "...brother?"

"Yeah?"

"What would be in the fields?"

"I don't know."

"Yet you know they have fields. Why don't you know what's in them?"

"Maybe rice."

"Rice grows in the water."

"It's still a field."

"Really? I don't think Aria would care for that. She doesn't like the water."

"Maybe they'll put her in a field on the land then." Ed was beginning to find this conversation pointless.

"Then what would be in that field."

"Carrots."

"...Just carrots?"

"No-"

"Do they have rabbits in Xing? Would they eat the carrots? I always wanted a pet rabbit, but every time I asked mom for a rabbit she would just make me a pie. I didn't quite get it." He sat up straight, eyes wide in horror. "You don't think she cooked the rabbit do you?"

"Al."

"Yeah?"

"You're burnt out...go to sleep."

Alphonse yawned loudly, "Fine." Then laid flat and stared up at the sky. They eventually dozed off. The brothers decided to stay outdoors by the fire, that way they could watch the sky till they couldn't keep their eyes open any longer. Al only made one more comment before conking out, something about God doing needle point, but Ed didn't catch the whole thing.

The next day, the tension seemed to fade away. May stopped tormenting Aria and even Roy was looking in better affairs. He was actually sober for a change. "This is new, clean shaven and conscious," Edward remarked as he approached Roy standing at the train station, "What's the occasion?" he gave him a sly look, his hand stroking his non-existent beard. "Tryin' to impress the higher ups?"

"You could say that," he placed his hands in his pockets. Since the weather was more than anyone anticipated, the soldiers were allowed to remove their military uniforms. They were issued bands for their ranks to be worn upon the arm. Roy's was that of a Brigadier General.

Ed looked at his own, he wore the title of Major. He was the youngest state alchemist, and the youngest Major in all Amestris. "What else could I say?" he antagonized more.

"Don't you have something better to do?" Roy was quick to frustration.

"..." Ed examined his face closely, Roy dodged each time Ed took a different angle. "Its Riza. Isn't it?"

Roy couldn't help but blush, only a little, not because he was shy, rather he was embarrassed. He was nothing without her. "She is coming today," Roy tried to avert his facial expression, but Ed was too invasive. "But that's not why I'm here."

"I'll bet it's not," he said with a snide tone.

"There's another train full of volunteers, it's the last one until the rainy season is done. I'm briefing them."

"Why aren't you briefing them in the tent?"

"It's being used."

"What for?"

Edward was really beginning to get on his nerves. "When some men were out digging a latrine, they hit a colony of fire ants. The medical tent is packed. Can you go now?"

"Why? Gonna get all teary eyed when you see her?" Ed mimicked what it would be like if he gracefully took her in his arms. "Oh I missed you so much, I'm a lousy drunk when you're not around. Do my paperwork."

"Fullmetal, how much do you weigh?"

Edward snapped back from his illusion, "What now? I think 130. Why?"

Roy saw a cart coming by, hauled by a horse being whipped by a young girl from the village. "Curiosity Ed," having said that, he grabbed Edward in such a way that he lifted him directly above his head and threw him in the cart. He shouted a foreign word to the girl and she gave the horse a smack, causing it to take off at triple the speed.

When he got back to the kitchen tent and complained to the group about what Roy did. Aria shared her story of how he did something similar to her, with a chair. "Its like he really doesn't want to let anyone in."

Edward nodded, "I wonder why?" he said and, again, stroked that imaginary beard.

There! Touched this one up too. (I re-did this one for those of you who are new to reading this.)


	14. Chapter 14 A Bond With You

I had to forgo the smut scene in lieu of fanfiction's standards. So I posted it on a similar site with a very similar name to this one, same pen name, titled 'Aerugo Love'.

Happy hunting!

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_**Chapter 14 A Bond With You**_

* * *

There are a lot of things people knew about Roy Mustang. He was a skilled alchemist, wielding his fire with ease and precision in a moments notice. He was clever, manipulating others to serve his own ends, though not maliciously so. He was a womanizer, but he managed not to become sleazy, yet. With striking eyes and that soothing voice, how could he not? He felt it would be unfair. They also knew he could be lazy, pawning his work off on his subordinates and ditching work to go sleep in the reference room. But there were also things people didn't know about, like his bond to Riza Hawkeye.

Of course there was the assumed romance that they shared, but no one truly knew what went on between them when the doors were closed or they were hidden away from prying eyes. Theirs was a relationship that had a delicate balance to it. There were many lines that were never to be crossed, others to be danced upon and things that were acceptable. In order of availability.

Riza was a strong woman, one not to be crossed, but allowing herself to be taken over was exhilarating. He wouldn't tie her up, just, give her instructions. "Put your hands behind your back," he asked casually. It wasn't an order but a request.

"Why sir?" She seemed puzzled at his request.

Roy rotated his hand at the wrist, "Come on, haven't got all night."

Automatically, she knew what was on his mind. "Alright," she said. The reason he asked her to accompany him to a storage tent was for privacy.

He undid her military issue jacket and slid it to the floor, "At ease." He watched Riza bring her hands to her sides only to be snatched up by his own. "This place is a hell."

"They made you do work again, didn't they?" she said in her usual flat tone.

He flashed a smile, "Exactly, you wouldn't believe what I had to do to convince them to get you down here."

"From what I heard you hit the bottle."

"You're good at this." Apparently there was a method to his earlier madness. Make the ones in power see he was a shell shocked mess of a man without his full team. He took a step closer, a step further within her personal space.

She averted her stare to the side, "I'm sure you've found your fair share down here, sir." Their relationship wasn't anything on a deep level, nothing romantic, just casual sex. He had been trained by Riza's father when he first signed up for the military, that's where he first met her and since then, have grown incredibly close to. Her calling him 'Sir', in situation's like this, was foreplay.

"Yeah, but they don't know me." He touched his forehead to hers.

"And I do?" She took a small plastic package from her pocket and passed it to him.

"Better than anyone." He kissed her deeply and walked her back to the edge of the table. They had stolen away to a food storage shed, bags laid about the floor and boxes were piled to the top of the tent. It was late so the kitchen was closed, no one would be near that tent till morning. Since they bunked in different tents, it was difficult to coordinate alone time, what with there being the impending return of the roommate. There was also the benefit of having no neighbours, they could make some noise. Not a lot, there were still people around, but they didn't have to be silent.

Another aspect about their relationship, the secrecy. A conflict of interest was what it would be called, so they were forced to keep their affection for one another to themselves. But that just made it all the more exciting. Roy gently reached for her waist and loosened up her belt. "You know," he said through their kiss, "If they took my miniskirt idea, we wouldn't have this problem. Lay back, Captain," he instructed. When it came to intercourse in a public area, it's best to remove as little clothing as possible. Pants to the thighs, unbuttoned and zipper down, the belt remained. It was a hassle, but it got the job done. Then again, there was the thrill of being caught.

There was a reason for all this restricted behavior. There came no emotional attachment. Not everyone needed to be in a relationship, though everyone was cursed with the desire for physical temptation. Sure there were probably exceptions to this rule, but unfortunately this was not Riza's case. Roy was not only a good friend she had known for years, he was a role model and superior officer to her. Many things made her respect him, so she was content with keeping her distance. Though he did care for her deeply, she could feel it, he never seemed to show any signs that he wanted a commitment. He only wanted carnal privileges with no emotional strings attached.

For some this was a very strange way of making things work, but for Riza, it was what she wanted too. They weren't sneaking around, their meetings were few and far between, and there were no disputes if he were to see other women. Neither of them would have it any other way. Afterward, Riza tied her hair back in a very short pony tail. She was satisfied that she would be good for a few weeks after that. "What's on the agenda for tomorrow?" Quickly dipping back into business mode.

"Foraging. They seem to think we're going to run out of food before the next shipment, so our mission tomorrow is gather enough food for a week. I told them we would be fine, but what do I know?"

"It's troublesome to be right when the appointed authorities are wrong." She was wise. Roy decided to drop this issue before they dropped a pile of paperwork on him out of spite.

The next day, the rain had left and the sun beat down. "Can you believe," Ed drug a sleeve across his forehead, "that this is winter for them?"

Al huffed as he lifted a ladder up and rested it on the branch of a tree. "The beginning of winter."

Edward laughed, "True. Then its all rain," he said while looking at the carefully placed ladder.

Alphonse shook it and it only wobbled slightly, "That's as good as it gets." With that, he watched his brother climb yet another tree. They had been taking turns going up and cutting the jack fruit down. Going up the ladder and cutting the stem off wasn't difficult, it was catching them that hurt.

Jack fruit were the world's largest fruit, weighing as much as eighty pounds. Their skin was rough and spiky, and they were awkwardly shaped, so it didn't make for a fun catch. They were instructed to only cut fruit that weighed ten pounds; at the beginning, they were shown an example of a ten pound fruit. Despite it's terror instilling outer shell the soft fruit inside practically dissolved in the mouth. It tasted similar to pineapple mixed with banana.

One trip that day, Al cut into a thick stem but knocked another fruit with a weakened stem free. Edward truly wished he had his automail arm after he caught that eighteen and a half pound monster of a fruit. It left a series of small gashes down his right arm as he caught it, only a surface scratches, but the bruise it left was great. It ended up being a dark purple in only an hour. It was near his shoulder, at the top of his bicep. Tiny spikes made their home in his first layer of skin, pock marking him with nearly fifty red dots. He also noticed a bruise on his right cheek where it came to rest.

When the day was done, Ed went back to his tent to have Winry look at his arm, "How does this feel?" she said, rotating his shoulder to see if anything was out of place.

"It's not that paaainful!" he tried not to flinch and failed near the end. It was the skin that was tight, it felt like it would tear.

"No major internal damage, so all I've got to do is clean it."

"Iodine?" he asked with dread.

"Sorry," she said, reaching for the bottle. Placing some on a cotton ball she held it towards his arm. He pulled back as she got closer, "Edward," she said sternly.

"Give me a break," he snapped and did his best to relax. He took a deep breath then quickly released it.

Like a ninja, she hastily swabbed the raised skin around the bruise and the bright red lines going down his arm. "Done," she said and saw him holding his breath, eyes widened with pain.

"Great," he muttered through gritted teeth. It burned badly but diffused into a dull throb in a matter of minutes. Giving his next few actions a recap in his mine, he began, "Winry?" he said in a low voice.

"What?" she said, busied with placing a bandage with tape at its edges over the bruise.

His words seemed to be lost. No matter how many times he went over it in his head, he drew a blank each time the subject would come up. She hadn't said anything, then again, neither did he. It was up to him to make the first move.

"What is it?" She prompted him.

While sitting next to her on the bed, he shifted some weight to his left arm, leaned over and kissed her. Not any familiar technique, one that leaned her back to rest her head on his pillow. Normally when they were having an intimate moment, both of them confirmed their actions, but not this time. Ed wanted her to just 'know' what he wanted. A nervous breath, one of those little things you notice when you're so close to another. "Where's this going?" he said impulsively as his kisses traveled to the side of her neck.

"I don't know." Her cheeks grew hot and her heart raced. She wanted to say something, but was far too nervous.

He ceased his intrusion of her soft skin and looked in her eyes and said, "Where do you want this to go?"

A strange feeling shook her whole body, it felt as though someone drained her heat. It started at her shoulders and a cold wave flowed down to her elbow and a static feeling, accentuated by her heartbeat, took its place. "Anywhere," was the only word that managed to work its way to the top.

Once again, the silence took over and the movements became more unfamiliar, but not unwelcomed. She felt his hands at her back, searching for a bra buckle that wasn't there. Realizing that, he pulled the shirt up in the front and over her head. "Wait," she said quietly, "Won't someone come in?"

Edward shook his head, "I told Al to leave me alone and I'd go get him later."

"You said that?" she asked.

"I didn't say it _like_ that," he dismissed her accusation of his big brother position being abused. Ed tugged a condom from his back pocket, one he had gotten from the medical tent earilier in the week. From there on out, things went as planned. It would seem that Ed managed to find a position that hit a great spot, one Winry later deemed the 'sweet spot'. They were able to finish in time before anyone intruded.

"I need to be at the kitchen tent in the next hour, where are you heading?" he spoke using his regular tone. Keeping the bedroom mindset separate from the public one was easy, and it made things less awkward.

"They want me to sort pills, its going to be a long night for me. See you in the morning." They kissed and parted ways.

Edward made his way to the food tent, while Winry trotted off to the hospital tent to get her work done. On the way, she wondered why it was so easy to be around one another so casually. Normally when people had an encounter like they had, there was always some kind of unrest between them. Even in the beginning, in Resembool, there was no awkward air between them. Whenever she thought it was going to be awkward, he looked so relaxed, it gave her the comfort to act no different than she usually did. Winry though that 'poker face' wasn't quite the word she was looking for. "No matter. All right you guys," the pills, "Sortin' time." And so she began by dumping them all out on the table.

For the most part, it was only idle though while she worked, but something crossed her mind. Upon sorting her twenty fifth pill cup she considered that maybe it was how he looked at her when they were together. How different it was. It was like she was looking at a different person. His gaze was narrowed, not squinting, but the kind of look one would give an intense scene in a book. Winry looked straight ahead, there was nothing there, she stared at nothing, blankly. She figured out why Ed was so well adjusted in the bedroom, "It was rehearsed," she spoke to herself.

Meanwhile, Al was sitting with Aria having a drink of ice water in the dining hall, "Did it hurt?" Al said, knowing full well that it must have. He offered an untouched glass to Ed as he came in.

"Thanks, and yeah. I think it's going to scar," he said, trying to hide his smile. He fought it, but it just kept coming back. They talked for a while longer till Ed got up and headed toward the kitchen. He tied a red bandana over his hair as he walked behind the counter.

Aria leaned over the table to Al, "Did you notice how much smiling he was doing?" she covered the side of her mouth with her hand.

"Expected. He told me to go away while he and Winry had some alone time," he said with an inflection on 'alone'.

"Really," she looked over in Ed's direction, "He told you to go away? Kind fo rude."

"He didn't say it like that," he said.

"How did he then?" she probed.

Al thought for a moment, "Come to the tent and I will kill you, see you later'. Then he left," he sipped his glass and saw Aria's horrified expression, "What? I didn't need to go to the tent anyway." He obviously missed the point.

"Well, he's been 'there' before...but he doesn't act like this any other time. And the fact he told you that, makes me wonder." By now she was leaning over the small round table supporting her weight on the sides of her forearms, shins resting on the chair. She was spying on Ed's movements over the counter. "Winry never mentioned that she was thinking about it recently...I mean, look at him. Its got to be." She pointed to get Al to turn around.

He sighed and looked over his shoulder, "He's not acting any differently," Edward was juggling three cups, "I don't see it," Al discarded the notion. "Unless Winry initiated it, it didn't happen. Brother's no good with these things. He said it himself," he said as Aria sat back down, "and you saying Winry hasn't mentioned anything..." He allowed the rest to be fill in the blanks.

"Hmm...maybe..." she squinted at Ed over Al's shoulder. That smile could be seen from miles away.

At the supper table, Winry came in and sat down with everyone to eat. She was sure she'd be there all night but was feeling so energized the job was finished in half the time. The team that got bitten by the fire ants a few days ago needed antibiotics, she was in charge of sorting the pills needed for the following week. Pre-sorting was the way to go. Being one of six surgeons on the base, she needed to be as free as possible during the day in case she was needed. She saw four patients this week with life threatening injuries.

"Glad you made it," he handed her a bread roll, "I was going to bring you supper later."

"Thanks Ed, I finished early," she broke it in half and buttered the top piece. The thought of mentioning her epifani to him crossed her mind, but if he had gone through all the extra trouble on her account, who was she to stop him? She was enjoying it. He was always a nut when it came to studying, so she wasn't surprised that he would handle everything the same way, including sex. Before they left Resembool, she couldn't help but notice a few of her books were out of place. That must have been it. He was getting his act down before opening night.

That thing he did with his eyes when he looked at her, crouched over her on all fours, that smolder. She gasped and blushed, allowing the knife to slip from her hand. "Damn." It made as much noise as possible as it fell, hitting the edge of the table and the chair in its path. It grabbed the attention of those around her; as if her face wasn't red enough.

Ed snickered, "Tired?"

"You could say that," she picked it up, wiped it clean and resumed her buttering.

Al and Aria stared at them out of the corner of their eyes. They saw the blush but couldn't determine if it was for the reason they thought. Aria would have to corner her tonight to see if she could grill it out of her.

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Adult fanfiction, google it, look for me. You must be 18 to enter! ...unless you lie...I have no control over that...lying is bad...


	15. Chapter 15 A Lifetime of Experience

Alright, enough of that, time for some plot!

...okay, maybe a bit more filler first.

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_**Chapter 15 – A Lifetime of Experience**_

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Days went by and so far no one said a thing. "I asked her, but she didn't say a word," Aria said as she sorted some plants for later use. "What about Ed, did he say anything?"

Alphonse shook his head, "Nah. He asked me why his personal life was so important. I didn't have an answer for him. Why is it important anyway?"

"Gossip! It's what keeps life interesting," she insisted. "Other than that, I have no idea."

Al smiled at her, "That's good, I thought you might have been comparing."

"Comparing what?"

"Us to them."

"Why would I do that?" She thought about that for a second, "Oh, no, not at all," she assured him. Aria's words were half true. She was comparing the two relationships, but not for superficial reasons. Winry and Ed were about the same size. Al was taller than Ed and she was shorter than Winry. If size went by height, Aria needed to know if sex was going to hurt. She wanted to ask Winry about it, but she would clam up.

At the end of the day, Al tried one more time to pry some information from his brother. "Come on! Why won't you say anything?"

"This is annoying," and he began to turn to walk away.

Al grabbed the back of his shirt, "Wait," he said with a defeated tone.

"Would you buz-."

"What was it like?"

"...Going under the assumption I have."

"Did you?"

Ed huffed, "Yes, ya happy?" he composed himself, "Why do you want to know?"

"How did you...approach her?"

Ed narrowed his eyes, "...you want to ask Aria, don't you?" he said with a smirk.

He blushed, "No. Well, not now. For when I do."

He laughed and gave his brother a rough pat on the back, "Getting your body back only to have your hormones turn on you. Guess you're making up for lost time."

"Would you cut that out. And brother, I lost my body when I was nine. I don't think I'd be doing those sorts of things as a kid."

Ed laughed, "I suppose." He laid a reassuring hand on his brothers head. "Follow me." Edward led him down the road to a tent similar to their own, a bland green square, only slightly larger. He poked his head in, "You busy?...Great." He emerged and swung Al in front of the door, holding it open for him, "Do for my brother, what you did for me." He was speaking to Nathan who was inside this darkend tent.

Al halted his brother's shove, "What happened to you not trusting him?"

"Shut it, talk later." And fully pushed him in the tent. He brushed his hands together, satisfied that he did a great thing. Which in his mind, he did; he didn't have to talk to his little brother about sex. A day he had been dreading for a long time. Ed whistled innocently as he distanced himself from the tent.

Inside the tent was dark, lit by only a lantern and a series of candles. It appeared to be a meditation tent. A regular tent on the outside, but the inside was layered with fabric to block out light and reduce noise. There was incense burning in the corner. "How are you Alphonse, we haven't crossed paths in a while."

"We've been worked into the ground. If we're not eating or sleeping, we were working," he said and laughed about how trivial he made it sound. They really were doing hard labour.

"Ah, good on you boy. Now, you have a lady friend, right?" He laid a pillow in front of him for Al to have a seat.

"Thanks. I can't believe he pawned me off on you. Brother means well, but he can be such an ass at times," he said, obviously a little sore about being ditched, "I wanted a little advice on how to approach her when I-"

"I know, here you go." Nathan assured him it was no problem and produced a book he had hand written himself. It had different sexual encounters he and others had during the course of the last twenty years. Nothing filthy, nothing like the novels back home, tucked away in the dark dusty tomb where they belonged. This was more of a journal entry, rather a series of journal entries. How they met each person, shared their conversations and what that person was really like. For each entry a write up about the sex and even a few different descriptions for the various positions used. The details were longer if it was particularly intricate, or if there was more than two people involved. One of the things all the romance novels leave out, the mechanics.

Of course Nathan didn't expect him to read it all right there, it was over a hundred pages. He took it to his tent to finish reading. When he got there Edward was nowhere to be seen. He raised an eyebrow and looked down at the book in his hand. He hopped in bed to continue. It expanded on all personality traits that any romance would leave out. He felt that the books were portrayed in a very superficial manner, where as this book talked about the feelings between the two people, and not just feelings of 'ecstasy' or 'desire'.

Around ten-thirty Ed appeared through the door. "Did the book help?"

Al laid on his back, book held in his right hand. "Yeah. You know, I was curious about sex this morning...but now...after reading all these detailed descriptions and positions..." he shrugged with a very pleased smile on his face, "...I'm good now." They laughed. Maybe he would wait on talking to Aria about it. The things he read didn't quite sound like anything he was comfortable doing. Just yet anyway.

"Where were you?" he asked as he retreated under the covers. Laying the book in a safe location for the evening.

Edward was fluffing his pillow, "Shower." His hair was still wet, so his story checked out.

After the oil lamp was shut off, Al had a curious thought. "Brother..."

"Yeah?"

"A shower...alone?" He shot him a sly glance in the dark.

"...goodnight, Al." Good thing it was dark, lest he show how badly he was blushing. He may have been able to keep cool around Winry, but talking about it was still nerve racking.

The next few days carried on as normal, two more foraging trips that week and the military felt they were caught up on food reserves. "My hands burn." Al dipped his sore palms into the cold river. Even with gloves on, the jack fruit still hurt. He wished people didn't like the fruit so much, they'd have to pick less. "I forgot to ask, what made you change your mind about Nathan?" Al had just finished the book the previous evening, so the thought about his question the other day crossed his mind again.

"He showed me his journal."

"That's it? He gave you good advice for you to take to bed?"

"No!" Ed blushed, "His actual journal. Three of them to be precise. Stories of his travels and the people he met. That guy changed a lot of lives. No one with a personal agenda takes that much time out of their life to help others. An entry from when he was eighteen really stood out for me. They were on a boat with fifteen other crew members, only he and one other survived."

Al wasn't following why the story was amazing.

"The other guy only survived because Nathan swam him four miles to shore by holding on to his life jacket...with his teeth."

Al's eyes grew wide as saucers. "No joke?"

Ed shook his head, "I asked a few of the people he knew who are traveling with him. One of them was the guy he saved. This man is bad-ass. on top of that, his father's an oil barren, so Nathan could have lived a rich cushy life, not having to do anything. Instead, he's traveled across the country, helping who ever he could as he went along." Edward rested his fists on his hips. "Guess why he's traveling?" He saw Al think but then shake his head. "He's looking for is brother."

"What? Is he missing? Kidnapped?"

"No," Ed's expression shifted to a less happy state, "He's running. I read that when Nathan was still young, his brother ran away from home. His reason was that he didn't want to take over the family business. His father told him that if didn't follow in his footsteps, he was dead to him. And so-"

"-Nathan wants to find him to convince him to come home."

"No," he said quietly, looking downstream and then up, to see if anyone was close enough to hear. "He wants to find him to stop this foolish war."

"How's that gonna' help the war?"

"Because his brother is the ring leader we're after. Nathan wants his blood as much as the rest of us. A few years ago, he contacted the family and got a hold of their little sister and convinced her to come along with him."

Al listened intently. "But that was her choice, he can't be mad at her too."

"He's not. Several months back they got a call from her. She said she was trying to come home but Raul wouldn't let her, she was being held captive." Raul was the name of Nathan's older brother.

"Do they know if she's okay?"

Edward shook his head, "They don't know. Her call was cut off and they haven't heard from her since."

"No wonder his father sent Nathan after him."

"That's the thing, he didn't. Nate's old man gave up on Raul years ago and thinks the sister is just trying to trick him. He refused to give Nathan money for the trip unless it was for his way home. So this trip is coming out of his own pocket. Granted, his father is funding this particular peace effort, so I guess there's got a bit of guilt on his part."

Al allowed the information to soak in. He couldn't imagine a person with such vibrancy of life could carry such a burden. He was obviously a determined man with a goal in his sight. Or as Ed so graciously put 'a bad-ass'.

"Such a compelling tale." Ling spoke at Ed's side, scaring him several feet back.

"I told you to stop doing that! You want Ran-Fan to be a widow?" he threatened. "Pretend you heard nothing!"

"I didn't hear a thing." Ling said with his usual vacant tone.

"Don't pull that bullshit with me, of course you did."

"Yes, but I was pretending I didn't."

Ed growled at the foreigner, all his sharpest teeth were visible. His classic frustration was rearing its ugly head.

"A widow?" Al wasn't feeding the anger, so he switched topics. He was really getting good at diffusing anger, he would have to share that notion with Aria later. Maybe she could use it when she was around Ed and Winry when they argued. That was the one problem with being so comfortable with someone, you aren't afraid to show them your worst side. "You two got married?"

"Not quite. We're having a child. Early next year."

"So why are you down here?" Al asked.

"Ambassador. I actually only found out about the pregnancy after I was practically already here." They had made a pit stop to gas up and he called home. That's when he found out. "I'll stay for a year and go home."

"NO!" Mei said and appeared wearing her bush camouflage.

"I knew that bush looked off." Ed said with confusion.

"We have to stay longer! I have to win Al's heart! He's coming home with me," she said with determination and turned to face Al. "I know your heart belongs to her, but that doesn't mean I can't win you over fair and square." She tossed a small vial at her feet and disappeared in a puff of smoke. Smoke which dissipated to reveal the bush sneaking away.

"She means well. Think about it, she's a princess willing to give you a life of luxury with no strings attached. Yet you refuse. I tell you Alphonse, I can see why she likes you. You're modest. Living a life of hard labor and poverty instead of within the walls of a brilliant palace protected by the walls of the Xing dynasty."

Al looked confused at Lings breakdown of what he thought of his scruples. "I would never marry for money."

"And I'm saying that's great-"

"Do you have any purpose?" Ed cut him off.

Ling shook his head, "I was just making small talk."

"Go away, you pest," Ed ordered with a hand covering his eyes, "When I open my eyes, you better be gone, or else." He waited a few seconds and lifted his hand, "You're still here! Why?" he said with an eye twitch.

"I wanted to see what the 'or else' was."

To which Ed grabbed Ling and threw in him the river. He went quite a distance and Ed could swear he heard him yell before he hit the water 'I thought we were friends'. Ed made tight fists when he walked, "Come on Al, time to eat."

"Great, I'm starving," Ling said from beside Edward, again, scaring him. This time, into a bush full of thorns.

Later that night Al approached the tent, but hesitated before entry. He had left his brother alone with Winry for quite some time, they may have been being intimate. "Can I come in?" he asked quietly.

"Sure Al." Winry said with a cheerful tone. She seemed to be in a good mood.

It didn't matter that he left them alone a long time, Ed was still having thorns pulled from his skin. Each pluck sent sharp pain through his whole back. He hated Ling, oh, how he hated him. "First its the food, now its the foliage. I didn't want to believe the idiom 'Everything in Aerugo wants you dead'. But now I get it. Ow!" he cringed at a big one being removed. "Everything is either sharp, poisonous or wants to eat you! I hate this place!" he laid his face deep in his pillow.

"I can come back in an hour." Al hooked his thumb over his shoulder, "If he's in a foul mood, he'll complain all night. I think he's the only person to complain in their sleep," and left the tent.

Ed perked up from his face down position and quickly darted his eyes in Winry's direction. She gave him a playful smirk. An hour was more than enough time. Ed was out like a light by the time Al got back.

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Okay...we're all set for the new arc! I have set the stage and we're going to have an adventure with Nathan. (PS, based him loosly on JFK)


	16. Chapter 16 Biggest Mistake

So I was planning on having Aria kidnapped, but that didn't go so well...

Read and find out.

And leave me some reviews, dammit! How am I suppose to know if you like where I'm going?

Share!

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_**Chapter 16 - Biggest Mistake**_

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"Get them down there! Move!" a large voice boomed from outside. "Go, go!" Many feet hit the ground and began running.

"What's going on?" Ed poked his head out of the tent door and was handed a rifle. "Huh?"

"No time to explain," the random soldier said, "just come on, we need one more."

Ed looked over his shoulder to Al but he was still in bed. Taking his leave he followed the group of men to a truck and sat in the back with the rest. "What's going on?"

The man next to him leaned over, "Raul agreed to let some women go."

"Raul?" Were they talking about Nathan's brother? Nathan neglected to admit that he had family within the terrorist ring, if the military knew that, he'd be under constant surveillance. Ed kept the information to himself in fear of making unnecessary waves for anyone. Without further notice the truck pulled away, Ed jerked to the side and watched the dust kick up behind them, "Uh," he said, "I don't know how to use this," referring to the gun he was handed. He had put them together went they first arrived, but had no idea how they worked.

"Don't worry," Havoc spoke from the front of the vehicle, "you guys are backup. Hopefully you won't be needed at all."

Raul contacted them looking for water and money, the usual request, though this time the military demanded some people be returned. So all but the chief's daughter and five others were still in captivity. This included Nathan's sister, later known as Farai. Farai, Nathanda and Rufaro, Raul's true name, were players in a game that not only spanned thirteen years, but the globe as well. Nathan had chased from one end of a country to another. This time seemed to be the end of the line. Raul gained a lot of followers so he set roots in Aerugo. This would be the final chapter in their story, whether or not it was going to have a happy ending or not was still up in the air.

The driver took them down several dirt roads till they reached a clearing. A sloping hill led down to an open field where a three story building stood. There was a rickety fence out front made of two horizontal boards. A large muscled man stood before the fence, a seven foot rope in his hand which led down to nineteen women, each individually tied to its length, they wore no clothing.

"It's a pleasure to meet you!" the man spoke with his large, phony smile full of bright, white teeth. This man had a much darker skin tone than the locals, he obviously wasn't native to this land. This must have been Nathan's brother, Rufaro, Raul.

"Wish I could say the same," Havoc spoke and stepped forward. Roy had ordered him to take the helm for negotiations. He was proud he had been given the opportunity to meet this guy face to face, he wanted to put some lead right between his eyes. "Let's talk. One, two-" he counted the girls, "we're missing one."

Raul nodded, "I know," he pulled the rope and the women in the grass were momentarily choked. "She was an example to the rest not to fuck around," an empty space on the rope signaled she was no longer a participant in the exchange.

"Killing a defenseless woman? Scum." Ed spoke to himself, or so he thought.

"Dat' bitch thought she was smart and brought a knife along. Because of her the rest of them lost their clothes. Can't have you hiding anything, can we?" he spoke to the girl closest to him. She cried and cringed as Raul spat at her. She didn't speak English, but it was clear she knew what he was saying and all she could do was agree.

"Whatever," Havoc continued, "What do you want?"

"Money!" he said loud, "Read this!" He pulled a paper from his pocket and flicked it to Havoc's feet.

Grabbing the note, he flipped it open, "...We can't do this."

With no effort, Raul pulled a gun from his waist and pointed it at the same girl he was yelling at and pulled the trigger. Her body hit the ground with a jarring amount of force, blood spilled on the grass. "How about now, can you afford it?" He had shamelessly blown the girls life away and pointed his gun at the next.

"Stop this!" Havoc snarled and raised his hand, signaling a few others to take aim.

"Ah-ah-ah," he wiggled a finger and pulled open his shirt, regardless of the buttons that held it fast, they ripped and flew off. Beneath was a bomb strapped around him. "It's controlled by a remote in the house over 'der. I wouldn't be too hasty."

Havoc lowered the signal and his comrades obeyed. "We don't have this money, its not that we don't want to."

"You don't have the money?" he spoke into an receiver attached to his shirt at his shoulder. A few seconds passed by and he got a response in a foreign language. "Witch doctor," he redirected his attention to the group, "we want that little witch doctor you got wit'chu. She knows medicine magic."

"We don't have anyone like that."

Raul pointed the gun at the next girl again.

"WAIT!" Ed yelled.

The dark man looked at Ed with a curious stare. "You think your passion is enough to change my mind?" He pulled back the hammer of his revolver.

"We really don't know what you're talking about! Can you describe her?" Ed stepped closer.

Raul lowered his gun, causing the girl he was aiming at to begin panting wildly. The girl beside her offered comfort. "Okay, she was a little girl, she made magic happen with her hands in a flash of blue light. She made medicine for a man she was walking with. Her hair was bright like fire. Does dat' ring a bell?"

Aria immediately popped to mind. "Kind of," Ed turned to Breda, who was also along for the trip. "She was out with you the other day, did she use alchemy?"

Breda nodded, he was sweating bullets, "Yeah. It was only a small reaction, she made an anti-nauseant. Nothing big."

"It didn't have to be big, my men have your base surrounded at all times. We see what you see." Raul sneered.

Ed gritted his teeth, "This was why there's no alchemy outside the base. Few people know alchemy here. They'll think it's magic." He scolded Breda.

Breda smacked his own forehead, "I wasn't thinking," he bit his bottom lip in frustration.

"Alchemy?" Raul said with curiosity. "I've heard of it, read about it, and I know it isn't magic...we want her. In exchange, we give you back all the women, including the chief's daughter."

This was a difficult call to make. "He gets nothing," (or not). One of the higher ups bellowed through the radio receiver, "They aren't our people, we do not sacrifice one of our own to those terrorists!"

"Got ya'" Havoc said as he replaced the intercom.

"Wait," Ed said with disbelief, "You're going to let them die?"

"I got no choice boss," Havoc said with regret. "Besides, do you realize what they may do to her once she's there with them? We have to look for another agreement."

Ed's mind raced to all kinds of terrible possibilities, "Right."

"We're not some kind of perverts!" Raul bellowed, "The girl will work and be fed just fine. I promise none of my men will touch her. She'll be valuable for getting us the hell out of here."

"What now?" Edward said as he looked to the man, "You just shot a girl at point blank range. Why in the world do you think we'd trust you?" It looked like Ed was slowly taking Havoc's position.

The man laughed, "No. But are you gonna let the little girls die? Three of these girls have children at home. And the one down the end there is pregnant."

"We can't personalize this issue Ed," Havoc spoke quietly to him, "Maybe they do, maybe they don't, he's trying to get in your head."

Taking in all the knowledge Ed came to another conclusion. He turned back to Raul, "Even if you do get her, what's the chance she'll be of any use. Her powers are limited."

"So you do know who I'm talking about."

"Yes, she's a friend of mine."

"Edward!" Havoc snapped.

"Aria."

Back at the base, Aria sneezed, "I wonder who's thinking about me," she said as she kept cleaning. It was an old wives tale that if someone talked about you or thought about you you sneezed. She was back at the hospital tent cleaning up the tables and desks. She didn't have to, but Winry was getting pretty swamped.

"Maybe it's Al."

"I was thinking about brother," he defended, "they've been gone an hour now." He sounded worried.

"It must be far out," Aria coaxed.

"Or they ran into some trouble." Al glimpsed a man entering the tent, he had a clipboard and was looking side to side.

"Aria Hall?" he said aloud.

She turned to face him, slightly nervous, "That's me, is something wrong?"

The man in glasses walked up to her and looked at her from beneath his specs. Indeed, she matched the picture they had. "Yes, you have to come with me."

Aria knew she wasn't in any kind of trouble, so she hopped this was all just a misunderstanding. "What's going on?" she asked as she was led into a tent normally reserved for the higher ups. She got no answer from the man in regards to her question.

Though the other man in the tent answered her, "We've run into a hostage situation that needs some delicate care," Roy was sitting behind a desk with a microphone in front of him.

Aria's eyes widened, "I'm confused. Why am I getting involved?" She was a medic, not special ops.

"The other day, when you were walking with Lieutenant Breda, did you use any alchemy?"

She went white as she thought, "...Yeeees," she said slowly.

"Well," Roy ran a frustrated hand through his hair, "That just made things a whole lot worse. A spy saw you use it and now they want you as payment for the kidnapped women. This is why we make rules, don't use alchemy outside the base. Do you understand!"

"I'm sorry. Do I have to go?" she was getting choked up, she didn't want to become a prisoner to terrorists.

"Don't be ridiculous. I thought you'd like to know, for future reference. Next time you're given a rule to follow, please consider doing so. You're dismissed," Roy spoke into the mic and told Havoc that she was shipped back to Amestris. He looked at her, "Oh, by the way, go natural with that hair color, they're looking for red." Aria nodded as she left the tent. When she got outside she saw Al and Winry waiting for her. She walked up to Al and buried her face in his chest and began crying. Aria explained the situation, she deeply regretted not following that rule, now so many people had to pay.

"Don't beat yourself up," Al coaxed her, "these guys are savages, they would have looked for an excuse to kill one way or another."

"Maybe...I still feel terrible."

"Come on, let's go take a rest. It's your day off, right?"

She nodded, wiping the last few drops of tears from her cheeks, "Sure," she said, almost breaking into a sob again.

"Try not to think about it Aria." Winry gave her a pat on the shoulder as she walked by on the way back to work.

Al took her back to his tent and she quickly activated her transmutation tattoo to remove the red from her hair, leaving a tawny brown in its place. They laid down on the bed together, above the covers. Al laid on his back while Aria's laid on her side, head resting on his shoulder. She held tightly onto his side and fell into a light sleep.

Havoc went back to the man holding the rope, this Raul, "She left already, there's no one else we have who can do what she did. She was shipped back for breaking the rules, so name something else," Havoc spoke sternly.

This was the first time he actually saw Havoc face to face with a serious situation. He was usually lighthearted and easy going, but this side of him was stern and focused. It would seem that everyone had many faces, ones for casual interactions, for out on the field and even the bedroom. Ed briefly wondered how many faces one could have. Then he jumped to Raul, and how many faces he must have had. He shouldn't have looked so closely, because that drew Raul's attention to him. Raul's stare was so sharp, it startled him, as if he were prey being spotted by a tiger.

"You look a little young to be here, boy." Raul took a step closer to him.

Havoc signaled to take aim.

"Settle down, I'm just looking." He looked Ed's face over precisely. "Where do I know you from?"

"You don't. I'm not from the area, you see." Ed's teeth were held tightly together.

The man smiled wide. He had the same devious smile that Envy had. "All the better. I think I saw you in the paper."

"We're not bartering with human lives! Take the money we offered!" Havoc realized that Raul recognized Ed as being-

"The Fullmetal Alchemist." He said and dropped the rope. "You give us this guy and they're all yours!" He spoke into the communicator on his shoulder. A second passed and another man appeared from the building, shoving a very beautiful native girl. "There's the old guy's daughter, what do you say?"

"Forget it!" Havoc yelled and looked at Ed who was removing his gun. "Ed! That's an order from above! No Amestrin lives for offers."

Ed knew if he disobeyed orders, he would be discharged from the military. "I'll be in trouble if I disobey...unless I'm kidnapped?" He dropped his gun and turned his back to Raul arms out at his sides.

Not wasting a split second, he grabbed Ed from behind and held the gun to his head point blank. "Smart man. We'll be nice, provided he cooperates."

"Ed!" Havoc wasn't pleased. The other men around him were going to attend to the rescued women, giving them blankets and touching up wounds.

"I've got this, trust me." He said as Raul turned him and began walking him to the house. On the way there, he passed by the daughter mentioned earlier.

"You'll be rewarded, I'll see to it." She said as she walked past.

With heavy hearts they loaded up the truck, one less passenger, and headed back to the military camp. Many of the men came out to greet their loved ones, who by this point were missing for over five months. The woman who was pregnant fell into the arms of her husband, they cried and prayed to the gods for their fortune, their baby would be due in only two months. Havoc looked side to side for the man in charge, Roy, who came stomping out of the transmission tent.

"What the hell did I say!" The Brigadier General was furious with the foolish decision.

"I tried to stop him Brigadier General, but Raul was too quick. He slipped in behind him when he dropped a smoke bomb. We fired some shots, but we were too afraid to hit Fullmetal."

Roy couldn't be too mad, they saved many families, yet they lost one of their most valuable members. He knew that things didn't go down quite as Havoc reported, he knew Ed gave himself up. But he would never know for sure, the entire team covered for Edward, sticking to the story Havoc told Mustang.

"I guess there's nothing we can do now. All we can rely on is Ed's own resources to get him out of there. We don't even know where their base is, so having faith is all we've got now," he relayed a cold stare in Havoc's direction, "You can go and tell the next of kin," he sounded angry, maybe not with Havoc, but maybe at himself for not going to the negotiation.

"Yes sir." He saluted and left the tent.

With feet that felt like lead, he drug himself to Ed and Al's tent, where Al and the two girls were waiting. He walked in and said nothing. The three of them asked enough questions, but none of them had an answer except for 'where is he' which was answered with three letters 'POW'.

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See why it wouldn't work! Gah...now I've got to backtrack my story...I do have an escape plan for when I write myself into a corner, so just be patient.


	17. Chapter 17 Drug Battle

I was in such a writing mood, I got this one up and running in no time flat. Once I got over that block with Aria not being able to get kidnapped, this worked SO MUCH BETTER!

***** - When you get to this, just imagine a voice over as a scene changes. I didn't know how to give it that effect...so lets pretend. (You'll see what I mean when you get there).

****** - Same rule applies with Raul that does with Nathan. I'm not writing their accents, just assume they have one.

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_**Chapter 17 - Drug Battle**_

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Everyone was devastated. Losing Edward was something no one was anticipating. Winry was a wreck, and it was everything Alphonse had not to break down crying with her. He held her at the shoulders reminding her that he's tough. "They wouldn't have been asking for any of us if you listened to the rules!" She yelled at Aria.

Her heart grew heavy. "...think about it, it was all by chance. He left without telling anyone and then they recognized him by face alone."

Winry nodded and slowed her tears. She had a point, Edward was probably going to be the one going anyway. "I'm sorry, I-"

"It's okay," she held a strand of her brown hair and twirled it, "Even with me in the picture, Edward would still be a better pick. His skills in alchemy are way better than my own."

"That's not true." Alphonse said.

"I don't think so, there-"

"Brother can't use alchemy anymore."

"At all?"

"Yeah. It was what he used in exchange for getting me back."

"The way I understood it, was that Ed couldn't clap and transmute anymore."

Alphonse shook his head. "Nope, he gave it all up. I guess the word hasn't got out."

With a hand over her mouth, her index finger on the bridge of her nose, she gasped. "But, when they get him to the lab and he can't do anything, they're going to shoot him on the spot."*****

Edward walked down a long hallway with a blindfold on. His hands were bound behind his back. Two anonymous guards opened a door and led him through it. On the inside, he could hear crying and sniffling, it was low, it sounded like a man crying. Edward had his blindfold removed and he saw the man that was crying was Raul. Cowardly wiping tears from his eyes. He looked up at Edward and shook his head. "I'm sorry Edward!"

Ed was shocked, "What in the hell is wrong with you?" The man composed himself and began to back up.

"Go see your children. You have nine days," said the deepest voice, in the world, from behind Edward. Raul took off running out a side door. Edward was in shock, who was this guy if he was able to strike fear into the heart of the leader of a major terrorist organization. He wanted to see who it was, but his body just wouldn't turn. "_Whas dae mattah boi?_"****** the voice spoke at a regular level but it still bellowed like a base drum from hell.

A chill where his spine should be, Edward swivled his top half to see his soon-to-be-killer in the face. This man easily stood two feet over him, more so than the Major. His skin was black like tar, shiny in places and riddled with beige to white scars. "And uh, you are?"

"My name is Raul," he leaned down to meet Edward face to face, a large cigar bitten hard between his foul looking teeth. His body bulged from muscle and his eyes were wild with contempt, "Nice to meet you."

Ed coughed, "Same." He wiggled his wrists, "Mind getting this off me?" He did his best to keep cool. Maybe this man could be reasoned with; or manipulated, whichever worked.

"Certainly? And would you like to kiss my ass too?" she said sarcastically, ending it with a kick to Ed's side. It sent him hurtling to the floor. "Why don't you lick my fucking floors clean while you're down there." He walked over Ed, still trying to catch his breath. "You're the Fullmetal Alchemist right?"

"Right." he was quick to answer because 'this' Raul was quick to anger.

He smiled an eirie grin, "You can transmute things by just clapping your hands," he said as though he was about to begin a story. He leaned down, looking at Ed's dazed eyes.

"Not anymore." He clenched, expecting a punch. And a punch he did get.

He hit Ed in the side of the face, crushing it into the floor, "Then why the hell are you here?" He pulled a desert eagle out and jammed it in Ed's temple.

"I'm still an expert chemist! I can be of use in other ways. I know how to make heroin." It was true, his vast knowledge of the elements made him a good choice to put in the lab. With all the reading he did in his lifetime, he came across the instructions on making such a drug and retained them. Something he thought he'd never need.

Raul removed the firearm. "Or so you say."

"I'll show you. My alchemy probably wouldn't have been of any use, even if I did have it." He was pulled to his feet by this giant. His grip left bright white marks when he let go. "So, who was the other guy?"

Raul snorted, "He plays 'Raul' in situations like this! Do you think I'm stupid enough to get in your comfort zone! In your line of fire? HA!" He put his face close to Edward's again, spewing smoke at a disgusting pace. "Know what? You could have taken a shot at him any time. We don't have explosives, that was a phony bomb he was wearing!" Raul laughed as if insane, "You could have shot him, rescued the girls and walked away a free man! Don't that make you feel stupid?" He laughed hysterically, "It warms my heart to trick fools like you. I can play you like a drum."

Ed lowered his head. There was no way of them telling if the bomb was real. It was a risk no one should take. "I don't regret what I did."

"You should," he retorted and placed a blindfold over his eyes again. Edward was led down many different halls and outside, then into a cave, then outside again and finally into a building with a heavy iron door. He could tell it was iron, it smelled like old metal and its mechanism cranked as the door opened. Edward did a good job of committing all the things he felt and smelled to memory. If the chance came that he got a hold of a communication device, he could hopefully give an idea to the military where he was.

As for now, he was dedicating his time and effort into making this drug for them.

On the military base, Winry paced back and forth in her tent. She was seriously considering going out and looking for him. Though her only problem was that she had no clue on where to start. She was given a small hand gun to use as protection for when she left the base, so that was a start. "How to get it from the safe." She pondered out loud.

"I don't know what you're planning, but stop." Aria said, her hair being tied in knots, it frayed every which way. When she was nervous she played with her hair. It got so bad in the past few days she actually got her fingers stuck a few times.

They received a transmission from the 'Afuni Jabari' and they said Edward was alive and well. No one believed them. Sure they needed him for the need for synthesis, but how was he doing it without alchemy? Alphonse suggested that he may be used to get more money, so they weren't going to kill him, he was far to valuable still alive.

It had been three gut wrenching days. Winry was granted only a day off to grive, the injured couldn't wait. Al was directed to go and see the camp counselor. Edward was his only living family member, so they suspected he may be in distress. Aria was laden with guilt, maybe if she had offered they'd take her instead, but then they'd be in the same situation. She was so conflicted sleep was only brief and restless.

The 'Afuni Jabari' directly translated to 'Opium Gods'. They were such a selfish group, they should have been called the 'Majini Jabari', they were much closer to demons than gods. Edward kept true to his word and produced the drug 'heroin'. It was simple to make, if you knew how to do it. It was the reason Ed could remember it, there were few instructions. "Chloroform...pyridine..." Ed spoke out loud as he worked. He rubbed his eyes, his vision was blurring and he was dizzy. Each time he made them a batch they forced him to test it. Just in case he decided to poison them, they jammed a needle in his arm to see if there were any adverse reactions.

The first time this happened, they heavily dosed him. Edward being afraid of needles freaked out, so they immediately thought he made them a faulty product. He hadn't, it was the finest quality any of them ever tried. So they doped him to the nines and sent him back to work as soon as he could feel his fingers again.

Each batch was like that. Make one, test. Make another, test. Over the last three days, Ed had been dosed six times with the stuff and it made him sick. Sick to the point he could barely work. On the fourth day, when he woke up in the morning, a guard took him down a strange hallway. They had been feeding him and the beatings were minimal, and now they were offering him some free time. Since the synthesis process only took a few hours, Ed could take a day off while the mule made his way to the border and sold to his junk.

"You have four hours, make them count." A guard stood by a door. This guard looked like a man native to this land, his skin was light brown and his hair was straight, not curled. He unlocked the door and Ed entered. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. It looked like a palace in the middle of a garbage dump. The rest of the building was dingy, but this room was painted, furnished and had a bathroom facility. Truly a luxury. It had a soft bed with a beautiful nearly naked woman chained to it. "What the hell?" Ed made eye contact with the girl who occupied the room with him.

She was so scandalously clad it was a wonder why she was wearing anything at all. It was a single wrap around her bust and a sarong tied around her waist. Her hair was neatly braided with beads and ribbons all throughout. Her make-up made her eyes cat like. It only took Edward a few seconds to figure out what this short vacation meant. He didn't know what to say to her, he obviously wasn't going to do what they were expecting him to.

She patted the bed next to her. Her eyes were dazed and her body swayed. Edward knew that they drugged her up for the occasion, no one wanted to be raped. Not to be rude, Ed took a seat next to her. He soon regretted doing so because she immediately began to hold and touch him. Ed took her hands and moved them away.

"Am I not pretty?" she said with a drone.

Upon closer inspection, this girls skin color wasn't quite the same as the natives, and judging from her position, she didn't get a lot of time to wander around outside. It could have been anyone, but Ed decided to reach. "Is your name Farai?"

She nodded, he eyes shut and her head hung lifelessly.

Edward had stumbled upon Nathan's sister, "You speak English then?"

This was met with the same vacant nod.

"I have a lady waiting for me back home, I'd never betray her." Ed smiled. "You know, your brother's looking for you."

"My brother's dead." She said and fell to her side, "Poor Nthanda. Poor, poor Nthanda. Died years ago. Dead-dead-dead-dead..." She began rolling and contorting herself in a suggestive way as she spoke her incoherent words.

"He's not dead. I saw him a day before I was captured," he said, trying to keep his distance.

"You lie. Everybody lies. You don't think I'm beautiful, don't you. That's why you don't touch me." Her hands reached for him as she gazed upon him upside-down. Clawing and reaching for him.

"They've got you doped up, even if I didn't have a girl back home, I still wouldn't." He tried to be reasonable.

"I'm so ugly. All you do is lie to me." There was no reasoning with someone who had no head to think with. She grabbed his sleeve at the elbow, tears were now decorating her cheeks, tears and mascara. "Why do you lie!"

Edward rolled his eyes and walked over to the sink. He found a dry clean face cloth and dampened it. "You're not ugly," he said as he wiped her face clean.

"'Then why won't you sleep with me? I'm so lonely." She knelt on the bed, coming close to face to face, she clung to Edward and kissed his cheek.

He stumbled back, still not feeling a hundred percent after the last dose he was given. Her feet were still on the bed while the rest of her was suspended, dangling from Edward's shoulders. "..." He thought of what he could say. "There is something you could do for me." Something that wouldn't be cheating on Winry.

At the end of his four hours, Ed left the room, relaxed and ready to work till he was drugged up again. He stretched and smiled as he left the room. "That hit the spot, thanks. She's really good." He waved over his shoulder to Farai, who waved back, now fully aware of what was going on around her.

"She usually is." The guard also spoke English. Something Ed would have to keep in mind.

Edward's plan to get out was going to go over much quicker than he thought. He now had someone close to Raul, his sister. He talked with her after she came down off of what ever it was they gave her. He explained that Nthanda was alive and still looking for her. She expressed her interest in going to see him. Raul trusted that Farai thought Nathan was dead, so she was to keep the charade up until Edward would get another foot hole on the situation.

"Hey, could I use a phone, or is that impossible?" he asked the man walking him to the lab.

"Ask Raul." he said, and nothing else.

He proposed the question to the man in chararge who just laughed out loud. "Do you think I'm stupid! You'd just blurt out our positions."

"I have a brother and a girlfriend who are worried sick, I just want to let them know I'm okay."

"No. Too risky. You work."

He came up with a solution, "Could you relay a message," he reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out a paper. "Its just a few things I want to tell her." He had the paper snached from his hand.

"...this is a love letter."

"It's mostly for the girlfriend." Ed blushed.

"...fine, but I'm not reading this sappy shit. Get Farai to do it. And I'll get her to tell your girlfriend how much fun you two had." He smirked evilly.

Ed nodded, "Fine. No one's perfect."

Farai was given the letter to read, and as instructed, she read it, word for word, careful not to mess one up. "You may want to mark this down, so you will always have it." She spoke into the radio transmitter.

"Alright." Winry was choked up, but she took out a pen and paper. She didn't know why she bothered, the tears in her eyes just kept clouding her vision. "Go ahead." Al offered to take the pen and she relinquished it to him quickly. Everyone was gathered around in support, they listened intently.

"Okay." She cleared her throat and tapped her pencil at the top of the page twice, signaling she was starting. "When I was swooped into your arms, it felt like I was carried to a far away land where anything was possible. We would venture into the dark, I remember how it was bleak, but you would bring me back to the light again. You locked me away in your automail clad heart, how steely at first, but the love you showed me melted that heart of iron, didn't it? Now that I've been lost for days, I realize that if I were to lose you, that heart would break and a sorrowful creak would be heard for miles. But don't worry. I'll always be with you, even though we've only been together for less than a year, how well I know you it feels like 35 years. Alphonse, there isn't much I have left to say. Just know that your little brother is not far away. Not far, not dead."

The transmission line died and was completely silent. "We're going to find him." Al said as he looked over the note.

"We have to," Winry wiped her tears away, "I have to thank him for such a wonderful love letter." She never knew Ed to be a poet, this shed new light on him. She had to have him back.

Alphonse snickered, "I don't think this is a love letter Winry."

She gave him the most puzzling of looks. "What else could it be?"

He smiled, "It's instructions on where he's at and how to get there."

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What do you think? Epic?  
Let me know.


	18. Chapter 18 Fight of My Life

So, I've come to understand you like it when I upload quickly? Well, this idea hit me like a wall of water. I actually got out of bed at two in the morning to write this idea last night.

Thank you, to those who have reviewed. The rest of you get an evil glare...but I'm glad your still reading. I guess I'll have to be happy with that.

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_**Chapter 18 - Fight of My Life**_

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It had been nearly two weeks, but the Amestrin military located and surrounded a small village near the ocean. It was reported that an unidentified ship had passed by. The lighthouse keeper reported it was painted the same color as the night sky, camouflaging itself. It was obvious how they were transporting, now it was only a matter of shutting them down.

Raul was relentless. His product made it to the delivery person and they walked it to the border. Ed heard mention of tunnels that were once old mine shafts, they must have been using them. He recalled the Briggs mountains and he assured himself that he would pull through this as well. Though this time was going to be much harder. The longer Edward stayed making heroin for the terrorists, the more they injected into him. No matter how much he showed he was cooperating with them, they still offered no ounce of trust.

"The one batch we don't check." Would always be Raul's words.

Ed couldn't stand it, being locked in a small room for the evening, locked in a larger, poorly lit room for a chunk of the day, then the final and the only free time he got was when he would crash near the end of the day. He was allowed to stay with Farai for this time. Raul though the sex was the only thing keeping him going.

They were careful to dose him properly, compensating for the lost limb, so he didn't die of an overdose. Earlier that morning, a medic was captured. He was to examine Ed, "He can't be having this stuff all day, every day. You're going to destroy his kidneys if you keep this up."

"Well how bout we test it on you doctor?" Raul snapped.

"No," Ed declared, "It was just his opinion, it means nothing. I'll keep doing it." Ed spoke, nearly drained of all life. His eyes were dark and his breathing hoarse.

"...Fine. We'll take his advice," upon closer inspection of Edward, Raul noticed he didn't look too lively, "You spend the next day resting. Only give him some when he can't take it anymore. Half a dose!" Raul shouted. His profit was going to be affected by this sick day. He left the room and slammed the door behind him. The guards talked by the door, far from ear shot.

"You dodged a bullet." Ed smiled at the medic.

He nodded, "Thanks Edward, do your best to wait as long as you can. Don't worry, we'll be free tonight."

Edward nodded, "Right." Slowly from the inside, Edward was building an empire. He befriended a guard, Farai and now a medic, who was captured on purpose to tell Edward to get ready for the raid. Ed's letter got through to a lot of people, not just Winry. He needed 'mending', so, they sent someone who mends things. A doctor.

Nathan guessed that Farai was okay. He said 'little brother' in the letter, and then repeated 'far' several times. It was his younger sister Farai he was referring to.

Ed noted that he was carried away to a far away land, and he mentioned the number 35. Roy assumed he meant it took him 35 minutes to get to where they took him. The letter mentioned a dank place, light then dark and light again. Havoc and a small group of men located a tunnel beneath a small mountain. That big automail heart of his was the large door that looked rusted over. Since the medic was sent out, Ed had to take the day off, this gave the military time to surround them. It had been a week and four days. But things were coming together.

Edward sat on the floor of his cell. He had a bed, but it didn't matter where he sat, everything was going to hurt soon. He needed to let the drugs drain out of his system; his blood had reached a dangerous level of toxins, so his kidneys were essentially 'freaking out' and periodically shutting down. For someone who never took much in the line of pain killers in his whole lifetime, switching to a lifestyle of using a heavy drug, daily, shocked his system too much. Raul was going to give him a day to rest and then, from there on out, only dose his sister with the made heroin.

Raul felt Ed had grown fond of her. They spent a solid hour a day in her bedroom. He hated the fact that some 'little Amestrin prick' was touching his sister, but it kept him happy, so he allowed it. The money this new drug was pulling in was too good to allow Edward to suffer. And he would never kill Farai, so it was safe to use it on her.

Ed did suffer though. Detox was the worst. The most powerful nausea swept over him and his entire body fell to the floor, burning in pain. He had dozed off and was woken up by this sensation, the withdrawal. His pulse raced and his breathing grew shallow. Ed tried to stand up but his head spun and his vision was so blurry he could barely make out the toilet. Making in enough time, he vomited profusely and dry heaved for nearly five minutes. He laid on his side on the cold floor, taking some relief from the endorphins released while being ill. Instead of using both eyes, he opened one as far as he could and pulled himself up. He found a breath hard to catch.

When he was horizontal, his blood pressure was even worse, but now, his heart palpitated and another string of dry heaves took over. His body began to shake violently, his arms and legs flexed as if they were being stabbed and he was pulling away from the pain. He was fully conscious having a convulsion, gagging on bile as the tremors tormented his body. When he stopped seizing, he pulled himself to the sink and turned on the only faucet. Water fell and he did his best to catch some in his hand to wipe his mough clean. He could only see with the one eye that reached the top of the sink. Unable to get a sufficent amount of moisture, Ed moved to his knees at the sink, unable to stand in fear of either falling down or vomiting again. His vision spun and he breathed erratically.

Even in the cold of the room, he sweat as though he were in a sauna and his skin crawled with a terrible itch. Especially the tracks on his arms, which he scratched so hard they bled. Edward had been though many things in his life, this was the only one that made him wish he were dead. Depression took hold and no matter how hard he thought, his head still screeched, his stomach was still in knots and he wanted that drug more than anything. '_Kill me or does me._' he thought.

Getting automail attached didn't hurt as much as this. He was under the impression that the first day was the worst, so if he could take this, he would be able to kick it. When his condition became unbearable, he was to be administered half his regular dose of heroin. Leaving him detox was one thing, but shocking his system with withdrawal was another. This was a drug he needed to be weaned off of. There was no cold turkey for him.

Ed's fist pounded against his door. He managed to drag himself to his feet momentarily so he could open his door then lay on his bed. The good doctor was coming. Coming with his drug. The pounding signaled 'I can't take it anymore' and for someone to come. "I was thinking of checking on you soon. I was afraid you had a heart attack."

It was late in the afternoon, he had been detoxing since ten in the morning. Seven hours was enough for Edward. He laughed weakly, "Nah. I started chucking blood. Give it to me." He referred to heroin as 'it'. Too ashamed to say the word. Too angry to say the word. Ed's fear of needles gave way to a desire to take drug. Heroin could also be taken in snuff form, up the nose, but they didn't give him enough time to make it that way. If he had alchemy it would be easier, but since this was the only outlet, he allowed his veins to be ravaged.

The doctor flicked the needle and allowed the bubbles to rise to the top. He wrapped a large elastic band around Edward's arm and cleaned off a place above a visible vein. Ed held the elastic with his teeth. "Use the one to the right," he instructed, "no needles have gone there, I don't want to aggravate old wounds." Just under two weeks and he was already starting to get track marks. They burned. Raul didn't care, he'd jab him in the same place each time.

The doctor slid the needle into his skin and vein, pushing the plunger and removed it. In a matter of seconds, Edward was fine. Not perfect, but much more comfortable. "Thanks." he sat up, his mind hazy from the drug. "What time is this going to happen." His memory was lacking some.

"Ten o'clock tonight."

"...give me the other half, half a dose won't last till then." As he held out his arm.

"You'll be too impaired."

"Doesn't matter, it's the only way I'll have a chance." The medic did as instructed and gave him more of the drug. If he didn't have enough, he would crash around ten, making him useless when he needed to move.

The doctor slid another prepared needle under his leg. "Don't hesitate to use it if you need it. Wait for another five hours at least, you don't want to overdose. We'll get you proper help when we're free." He smiled reassuringly.

"Got ya'" Ed nodded in a daze. He hated to admit it, but this drug was beginning to grow on him; maybe it was because he felt so terrible without it now. When he was better he speculated that he wouldn't care for it anymore. Getting there was going to be the difficult part. He may not have wanted the drug on a psychological level, but the chemical addiction was something he had no control over.

In the trees surrounding the village of two-hundred natives, the military moved in. In the back of the village, there was a large store house with sliding metal doors, the only possible answer to the clue Edward gave them. A few days ago, two men went to the door and damaged the locking mechanism so with a good bombardment, it would crumble. Roy laid flat on the grass and watched the building in question. "He's got to be in there." They tried talking to the villagers, but they were of no use. Raul kept to himself to the point no one ever saw anyone go into the building.

"Unless they took him out the back." Havoc himself saw the tunnels that were dug. The terrorists used them to sneak around unnoticed. The ship was a decoy.

Night was upon them, it was nine o'clock. Ed was done detoxing for the day and was going for his usual visit to Farai. The only room with a window was the most important factor in him getting away. There was a guard beneath the window, he resided in a hole that was covered with a piece of plywood, cloaked in branches. Ed took the bandana he had gotten from working in the kitchen and laid hanging outside the window. He closed it, pinching it tight. "I hope they get this." It was red, so it stood out against the gray building.

"I hope so too," Farai said as she helped him down from a chair. The window was too high and too small to climb through undetected, but draping the bandana was a good way to give away his location. "Do you need more?" she looked at him, it had been four hours since his last injection and he was beginning to look ragged.

"Yeah," he said, glimpsing his arms. They were littered with tiny holes from where the needles went in. "Shit..." he didn't want to use a vein that had already been tapped. The track marks burned too badly.

"Have a seat," she instructed him to sit on the bed. "You got more than the veins in your arms," she removed his right boot and injected him between his first two toes. "It's one you need help doing, but it works just the same." She released half the vial into his blood. "One more hour."

He nodded, "One more hour..." he was becoming immersed in the drug. Any nervousness he felt melted away. Even when he did get out of there, he had to face the others with his newly acquired taste. He couldn't cut it out completely, he needed to lessen and lessen the dose and get off of it in a week or so. Maybe the military would send him home, being to derelict to be of any use to anyone.

"Want to do the usual?" she said, touching his face softly. He nodded. Farai pulled his shirt over his head and laid him on his stomach on her bed. She poured a bit of massage oil on his back and rubbed up and down, giving him a moment of relaxation before the bust. This was what it was like everytime, Farai would give him a back rub and he would walk away refreshed, giving people the impression he was doing other things. Raul even stopped shooting her up before he went in. She wanted him to come in, he was the only man who wasn't going to rape her.

Meanwhile, Roy was outside just as the bandana was hung from the tiny window. "There he is." He said with great joy, he could hardly contain himself. "We're coming Fullmetal." He spied through his binoculars. One more hour until they were ready for a raid.

Seventy people were involved, so they brought ninety soldiers. More than enough to take them down. It was finding them in jungle that was the hard part, but since Ed had led them right to Raul, it was cake(no lie). Raul was the only one with experience, so if they could take him down, the rest would fall. Slowly, they crept through the streets. The villagers were told to lay on their stomachs silently or they ran the risk of being shot. If anyone was in with Raul, they weren't able to contact him.

Roy slipped quietly down the hill, Riza on one side and Havoc on the other. They were his best shots, so they were in charge of taking out security. Havoc shot the guy under the plywood. Riza crouched and laid flat on her stomach at the corner of the building, she aimed her gun. "Ready sir?" she asked, finger ready to fire.

He looked at his watch, only a minute to go. "...now." He spoke to her and into an intercom at the same time.

Shot after shot rang out while each guard fell down. Riza had deadly accuracy. Twenty more soldiers, once the main guards were gone, appeared from the village and amidst the trees. They rushed the front door of the stronghold.

"Ready men!" Roy snapped a finger, blasting the main entrance with a fireball worthy of hell. The doors flew inward, crushing a few members as they passed, no loss on their part.

"What the hell is all this?" Raul heard nothing about what happened out front, but when that door came crashing down, he shot up from his chair, eyes wide with fear. He grabbed his favourite gun, the machine gun, a PM M1910, one of the best out there at the time. "Bring it on you fuckers! I'll blow this place sky high!" He looked around the room, no one could be seen.

Raul had come in to relax with a shot of heroin and a local hooker, but that time was cut short. There were so many doors the military could have come through to get to this room, so he made a break for it. The girl was shot in the head and left to rot while Raul slinked out a back door. It led down into one of the tunnels that would carry him to freedom. He also kept his fortune down there, so in just such an occasion, he could make a break for it and start again in a new location.

Out front, things went swimmingly. Only a few soldiers were shot, minor wounds, and no casualties. The terrorists that gave themselves up were being loaded onto trucks to be brought to the local authorities. In this case, it was the Amestrin army. The Aerugo government washed their hands of the terrorists and wanted no involvement. That was fine by them.

"We have four missing woman and one soldier, Fullmetal is inside! Make sure you find them all!" Roy instructed as he watched others douse fires and lead criminals away.

A ten minute search of the facility resulted in them finding Edward and the others, but no money or Raul. The drugs were still there, so if he was going to start again, he was doing it from scratch.

Farai had Edward over her shoulder as he tried to maintain balance. The raid went over much better than they anticipated, he didn't even have to get involved. It looked like that extra boost an hour ago was pointless. "About time you guys got here," he said with a dazed smirk. Farai sat him down on the edge of the back of a truck. She held him upright.

"What did they give you? We have anti-narcotics," he whistled to a doctor to come over. "We'll neutralize the drug-"

"Don't." he said suddenly.

Roy was confused, "Ed, you look terrible, you need help."

Edward shook his head and rolled up his sleeves, revealing the track marks. "More heroin, is what I need."

* * *

Kind of led you on a bit with Ed and Farai...hehe. (Fa-rye)

Oh yeah, enjoy that heroin addiction Ed. (lol)


	19. Chapter 19 A Plan

I was sad no one mentioned the 'Portal' joke from the last chapter. Aaw. Oh well.

* * *

_**Chapter 19 – A Plan**_

* * *

By the time they got Ed back to the camp, he was in full blown withdrawal again. Farai only gave him a little before the raid, so it had worn off in the two hours it took them to get back in the dark. His body shook violently. It felt like his arms were on fire from tearing them up. The doctors were forced to cut his nails in fear of him tearing chunks of skin off. If it wasn't bad enough that they had him strapped down, they'd be weaning him off the drug immediately. But then again, that's what it was all about. "I need more," he growled, his head was pounding.

"You have to wait, the medication is on its way. I need to hear your breathing without anything in your system." Ed breathed in as deeply as he could. "You have pneumonia, I expected." Unsafe living conditions opened him up to all kinds of potential infections. And adding the drug only helped lower his ability to fight them. He held the sphygmomanometer and squeezed the cuff tight, "You have the blood pressure of a sixty year old. And you still want this drug?" he said in a condescending tone, questioning his intelligence.

"Don't bother, I can't make sense of it either." He cringed at the tightness of the cuff and even when it was pulled off. The sound was loud and the edges were sharp.

Winry entered the tent, "Ed..." her eyes welled up with tears. "You're home," she laid the tray of pills down with no grace, they bounced around. She threw her arms around his shoulders, gently, aware of his current condition. "That letter...only you..."

"I know." He held one weak arm around her back, his head rested against her chest. The truth of it all was that he actually wrote some of that in a letter for he a long time ago, but threw it out because it was too 'Romance-y' for him.

The doctor left them alone to talk. Winry asked him the suspected questions, 'did they hurt you?' and the like. She lowered her eyes, "About the transmission Raul sent out," she said with regret, "He said he was going to kill the guy who was with his sister...was he talking about you?" She was aware he was friends with Farai, the girl who was saved in the raid.

"Yes...but I didn't sleep with her. She gave me a back rub."

"Everyday?" she said skeptically.

"Everyday," he said, hurt at the accusation, but understandable if she was skeptical. He knew it looked bad, but he was honest.

She rested her mouth on the top of his head. "I know if you did, it was the drugs, I won't blame you."

"I didn't," he said and looked up, reaching his lips to her own, "I swear. I'll tell you when I'm sober. I swear," he shut his eyes and rested against her chest again, unable to find words in the hazy mess that was his head.

"You're stronger than I thought," she said with a smirk.

"Yeah, yeah, give me the meds." Ed knew this was this was going to be the most turbulent road he was going to tread down. Fortunatly for him, he wouldn't be on the journey alone. Sure he was going to have the support from his friends and family, but the struggle for sobriety was shared.

During his absence many people were affected, not just Winry. His brother, Alphonse. "Separation anxiety." The doctor said as if he should have already known.

"What?" Ed said, finally dosed enough so the shakes stopped.

Al held his head low, rather embarrassed by his predicament. "I took Roy's lead and hit the bottle. I only used it to go to sleep!" he defended.

"At first...but at noon? Regardless." The man in the white coat straightened his documents and laid them on an adjacent table. "You understand that getting kidnapped is a serious event. Being sequestered and abused can leave emotional scars," he said to Edward and then turned to Alphonse, "and having the only thing you have as a family taken away gives you a sense of insecurity."

"Like it could happen at any time." He shifted his eyes to his brother and back to the floor.

"This coupled with everything else...we feel it's best if we send you home."

They bolted forward, "No," they said on cue.

"This is tough work, we can't have long term, in care patients. You can come back when you're better, but we feel it best if you two went back to Resembool."

It was a sad truth, the emotional stress affected them in such a way that it compromised their performance. Alphonse would only wake up around noon and be to ill to work until mid afternoon. Edward wasn't going to be able to function at all if he wasn't doped to the nines, and having him work while detoxing wasn't even a considerable possibility.

"How long is 'long' for in care patients?" Ed asked, hopeful of the impending answer.

"Five days, occasionally we allow six, but five is the standard."

"If we can clean up in six days, can we stay?" his mind was dulled, but not useless.

The doctor held a pen against his firmly pressed lips. "...can you?"

Ed that bright Elric smile he still had, despite all the pain, "If anyone can, it's us."

Al nodded in agreement. "We've been in tighter situations with a hell of a lot less help."

The brothers had a resolve and a goal was set. All they had to do is work as hard as possible to make things right again. "It's a good thing we have support. How has Aria been through all this?"

He glanced away from his brother, "I wouldn't know...I haven't spoken to her in a few days."

Ed's eyebrow raised, "Why?" he had to take a seat, his head began to pound. The dose they prescribed was to be taken frequently, but less miligrams. It wasn't heroin, but it was still part of the opiate family.

"I apparently upset her one night...I don't even remember what I did." He sounded hurt. "She wouldn't even tell me. I could only imagine what it could be."

Ed laid a hand on his shoulder, he couldn't think of any words, but gave his shoulder a squeeze. "We'll work it out."

He nodded. "I guess," but didn't sound too sure of himself.

The days to come were tough. Al was placed in therapy. Unfortunately for him, he was forty years to early for antidepressants, so talking things out and having a close eye kept on him was all they had to offer.

Edward just needed to stay off the junk. Each time the medication wore off he would be thrown back into a whirl wind of hot and cold flashes, vomiting and a heartbeat which shook his whole body. The longer he waited in between doses, the quicker he would get better.

"You need to take a different path," Nathan said. He observed Ed for the first few days and saw how he struggled.

"What other path," he snapped, head half in a bucket. He didn't know why he bothered, they were just dry heaves, he wasn't able to eat anything all day.

"I got something that can help you out. Get rid of all these symptoms." He referenced his entire body. From what he could tell, it hurt from top to bottom.

"I'm fine. I gain a little more each day." It was true, he had cut his use by more than half. But it was still hard ordeal, his craving for the substance was what was keeping him down. Ed found himself tonguing a pill to take two before bed. Something that was costing him valuable time.

"Is it going to be enough? Your time is half up and you're still like this." He knelt down and looked at Ed's eyes. "You trusted me before, why not trust me with this?" Nathan suggested using a natural method of medication to kill the symptoms, rather than just feeding the fire, so to speak, as they've been doing. Edward declined, replacing one drug with another wasn't the answer.

"It's not a narcotic." He said enticingly.

Ed shrugged, "A drug is a drug," but he decided to hear him out anyway.

Nathan led him to a very familiar tent, the large darkened tent he had been in once before. "You wait here." And Nathan walked off in the other direction.

Ed made himself at home in the warm tent, his cold flash enjoyed the heat the tent retained. He held his arms and rubbed them gently from elbow to shoulder. His medicine was wearing off and the symptoms were slowly coming back. First chills, then shakes and unbelievable amounts of pain and nausea. The itch always stayed, his skin was sewn with long stitches of scratch marks. His tracks were clearing up since his drug was now taken orally but the replacement still made him itch, mainly on the neck, and the backs of his arms. Only time would tell what it did to his insides.

He wasn't left waiting long, Nathan returned with Al, who was equally as sketchy with his idea. "I really don't know," he said with uncertainty. As closely as Alphonse was being watched, they couldn't do so at all times. He had wine stashed in places they've yet to find. Nathan sat him down. With a sway Al accepted the fate he had been pulled to against his will.

"This is a peace pipe session. You will follow me in meditation and-"

"Cannabis? Seriously?" Ed shook his head, "It's not the same thing," and began to get up.

"We aren't trying to replace the drug, this is a therapy session. Just sit." He instructed and Ed sat back down. "It will abolish your ailments and allow your body to recover. Giving you the same drug that made you sick in the first place doesn't work. You wouldn't pour gas on fire to put it out."

"I have to, the withdrawal will kill me," he snapped. Another withdrawal symptom, irritability.

"Not anymore, I checked with the doctor. If you can just bare the pain, you will be better in time." He shook Alphonse at the shoulder, "And you have major dependency issues. You can't fall apart just because your brother's not around."

Al wobbled as he was shook, "..." he was at a loss for words.

"We all suffer loss, it's how you choose to deal with it that will determine your outcome...you both need a break from all this and some time to think with cool heads. Peace pipe is the way to go." Nathan explained how things would work. Apparently there was a lot more to it than just breath in and relax. So much more.

Ed and Al were granted the tent for the rest of the day. Ed fought the urge to take the whole thing and snapped his pill in half. Hoping he would doze off from that. Taking less than prescribed meant he was going to withdraw again, and soon. "By that time, we'll begin the session. Get some sleep." Nathan shut the door, it closed with a swish.

They laid on opposite sides of a small unlit fire pit. It was far too warm for that. The rainy season really did skip this portion of the country, saving the rain for the flat land after the mountains. "Brother," Al asked distantly.

"Hmm?" he responded.

Al was silent for a few seconds, but managed to come out with words, "What did they do to you, while you were gone...besides the drugs?"

"They roughed me up now and then, nothing bad. Bruises...scrapes...I bit my lip once," he touched it, it only happened three days ago and was still tender.

He groaned and rolled to his side, his head ached whenever he moved. Al wished he had just one more drink, then it would go away so he could sleep. "What about that message...did you sleep with Nathan's sister?"

Ed laughed, "Nah, she gave great massages. It was the only relief I had in that damn place. She was also the only one who bathed regularly."

"Massage, huh...happy ending?" he inquired.

Again, he laughed, "I can't believe you know that term."

"Well?"

"No...I love Winry, I would never do that." Remembering that Al didn't have Aria currently at his side.

"Aww..." he said sweetly. "I gotta get her back," he furrowed his brow, "May's been particularaily clingy."

Ed snickered.

"Shut up, I can't talk." He rubbed his eyes. "Since Aria stormed off, Mai thought this was a great opportunity to win me over. She's been cooking for me, washing my clothes...I don't know what to do."

"...you don't think you did anything with Mai...that's why Aria's mad?"

Al stared blankly at the lightly spinning tent ceiling. "...I sure hope not." He considered that a possibility, "Oh God, what if I did!" He hurt his own head.

"...Have you asked Aria about it like that?"

"No. I even asked Winry but she's not talking with her either."

"Wait, she's not talking to Winry about what happened, or not at all?"

"About what happened." Al clarified.

Ed pondered, "Al...did Winry have anything to drink?"

"Yeah, once-" Al came to a conclusion. "Brother..."

Ed's eyes went blank as he came to the same conclusion as Al. He recalled Winry mentioning how she would forgive him if he was with Farai. "...Al...I think I figured it out." he said and sat up and saw a look of realization on his siblings face.

He nodded, "Me too."

* * *

'Drama' enough for you?

lulz


	20. Chapter 20 Forgiveness

I'm on a roll with this one.

* * *

**_Chapter 20 - Forgiveness_**

* * *

He weighed all the points of the situation. Winry had lost her first love to terrorists, unsure if he was still alive or not. Al lost his only sibling his only living relative, so he was feeling lonely. "You slept with Winry...didn't you?"

Alphonse sat up quickly, his eyes locked with Ed's. "No!...I...I really don't remember. Why would you think that?" he seemed hurt.

He laid flat again, "Alcohol makes people do stupid things, and something Winry said got me thinking. She said she would forgive me if I'd slept with Farai...why would she be so understanding? That's it, isn't it?"

"Brother, I don't know. I'd really like to know. Why don't you ask Aria?" he was getting frustrated. His memories of the night in question were pretty much non-existent. To think, someone who struggled to gain lost memories was now throwing them away intentionally.

"I think I will." He stood up only to be stricken with nausea and laid down again, "...tomorrow."

A few minutes of awkward silence passed, "...I'm sorry brother."

"What for?"

"Being stupid. I don't know...if I did anything. I'm just apologizing in advance...in case..." After that, they both dozed off until the evening was upon them. Neither of them saw a point in bickering about it right then.

Upon returning, Nathan immediately noticed the tension between the brothers, he paused. "What is it?"

"What's, what?" Ed asked, frustrated with talking.

"You two seem uneasy...what happened?"

"Too much speculation." Al announced.

"Care to let me in?" Nathan requested.

Alphonse rotated his neck, cracking it once from the position he was sleeping in, "Aria's not speaking to me. Brother seems to think it's because I messed around on her with...his girlfriend."

"Did you?"

"I don't remember!" he was getting aggravated.

Nathan let out a sigh and stood up, "I'll be back," and left again.

Ed and Al tried to protest, but he was too quick. "This guy's on top of everything." Al pointed out.

"Like you?" Ed glared. He was expecting the worst, so if something 'not as bad' happened, all the better.

Al rolled his eyes and rested his head on his fists. The worst thing was that he was beginning to fear what they speculated, actually did happen. It would make sense. But Winry didn't remember anything either, so it was hard to say.

As they expected, he came back with Aria and Winry, holding them by the wrists. "Oh no, no way." Aria attempted to free herself, but he didn't even budge. Winry reluctantly entered and sat next to Ed, Aria needed a little more convincing, but she too sat down in the remaining spot.

"Do we all know why we're here?" Nathan asked. Ed and Al were obviously there to detox, but the girls were a different story.

"Probably," Ed remarked.

"Not really," Winry added.

"Maybe," Al continued.

"Yes." Aria finished.

They all looked to her, "Out with it then, get this over with." Ed was getting annoyed, his symptoms were flaring up again. He rubbed his forehead then pinched the bridge of his nose. Ed was hoping this 'peace-pipe' was going to help.

"You didn't listen to me. I told you to stop," she began, "one more drink, I can handle it. You can handle a lot of things." Aria stopped to catch her breath and de-knot her fingers from her hair. She'd been tying it in knots. "I tried to blame the alcohol, but I just felt so..." Tears built up in her eyes but all she was feeling was anger.

"I know you feel like that," Nathan coaxed, "But remember, alcohol is a poison, it turns cowards into gods and reasonable men ridiculous. Whatever it was, you should move past it. Does the good outweigh the bad?"

She thought about it, "Yeah..."

"What exactly happened?" Winry asked outright. She had been trying to get information from Aria for days now.

"I caught them two together," she pointed to Winry and Alphonse.

"Ha!" Ed declared.

"What?" Winry stammered. "I never-"

"You passed out. It was a few nights before Edward came back...I didn't think you remembered. You only woke up for a second. Al, you didn't even know where you were."

"You what?" Winry's eyes flared with a rage incomparable to humankind. "I don't remember that at all!"'

Edward laid a hand on her knee, "I got multiple back rubs from a nearly naked woman on a daily basis, you're forgiven." Winry's jaw fell open, blank stare.

"You two weren't doing anything, you were sleeping. I was just fed up with all the destructive behavior. It didn't solve anything and only made the people left here to worrying worse off than they already were. I kept telling you that, drink or no drink, but you could always handle one more," she folded her arms and glanced toward the doorway, "We all suffered a loss...it wasn't just you."

Al was struck for words. "...I'm sorry." He admitted. "I should have listened."

She laughed, "Yeah...we've all been under a lot more stress than usual. We'll talk more later. Should we get started?" she directed her question to Nathan, who had dozed off.

"What?" he came to, "Right, yes, no. okay," in that order. He gathered his thoughts. Nathan explained what the ceremony was about and coaxed them into joining. A peaceful conclusion to two weeks of sheer hell.

The tent was prepared in such a way that it didn't matter where you laid, it was comfortable. Pillows were all over the floor. Not on the ground, the tent had a base. It was the perfect stomping ground for a ceremony dedicated to relaxation. Farai came in with a guitar and began playing a song she knew from back home. It was a Choro, happy, yet calming.

"I don't think I could be mad at anything right now," Winry said as she gazed at the tent ceiling, which was looking a lot closer than normal at the moment.

"What would you be mad at?" Ed questioned.

She laughed, "What are we talking about?"

"I have no idea, you started it." He casually pointed out.

"Maybe it was about Farai?" Aria suggested. She too laid on the floor, head on Al's lap. "It's good you're not mad. Mad's not good. Good is good."

"Has anyone else noticed their face yet? Or is it just me?" Al questioned, touching his cheek bone.

Ed snickered, "I noticed it a long time ago."

"No," Al sighed, "I mean...I know it's been there the whole time, but I've become more aware it's there." He looked around, not the tent though, "I mean, I notice my nose and eyebrows." He looked up, "It feels like I'm on the inside looking out. Like, out a window."

"It's always like that," Ed couldn't help but laugh more.

"I know that," Al laid a hand on Aria's forehead and ran his hand back through her hair, "I'm saying I'm actually noticing it more."

"I notice my face all the time." Aria said, looking at her own nose, "There it is."

"I'm hungry." Winry intervened, tired of talking about faces. "We need to food something."

"Eat?" Ed corrected her.

"Eat what?" She became confused, "What are you eating?"

Ed shook his head, "We should go eat something."

"That's what I've been saying all this time." Winry began to get up.

"Where at?" Al asked. "I don't think we're suppose to leave the tent."

"We can't leave the tent?" Aria shot up into a sitting position. "We can't leave! Did they lock us in?"

"How can they lock a tent?" Alphonse mused.

"They can't," Ed mentioned, "Nathan suggested we stay."

Aria stood up with a hand from Winry. "Well I have to leave the tent. I need to know that I can!" She began to walk toward the door.

"Wait." Winry said and held up a hand, "Where are you going?"

Aria opened the flap, unusually entertained with the velvet covering. "Food?"

"There's food out there?"

"Maybe. It's the world, there's tons of food."

"That sounds far away. The world? Far away. Very far."

Aria rubbed one of her eyes, sore from letting the tent flap fall into it. "There's always the food tent."

Winry hit her fist on her other hand. "Great idea! Wish I thought of it. Come on." And with that, she pulled Aria from the tent.

Ed and Al sat there staring at the now empty tent doorway. "What were they talking about?" Al questioned.

"I think they're going to the kitchen for food..."

"Isn't the kitchen closed now?" Al tried to figure the time out but had a realization, "How long have we been here? An hour? Two? I can't feel time anymore!"

Edward shrugged then rose to his feet, "Who cares? They still have dry food laid out, we can eat that stuff." Edward coaxed Al into going with them, after convincing him that time was still passing. When they got to the kitchen, Winry and Aria had raided a cooler and found a pile of sandwiches.

They were trying to locate roast beef sandwiches, but they were mostly egg. "Why would they give people who sleep in single room tents boiled eggs? Seems cruel to me." Aria said as she removed the fourth non-egg, wax paper wrapped morsel from the large gray box.

"Why is it cruel? There's no chickens in the eggs." Winry seemed to be the furthest gone out of the four of them. She looked up to see the brothers devouring their spoils. "Hey...when did you two get here?"

"The four sandwiches we found! You suck!"

Winry quickly grabbed the final two halves from them and passed one to Aria. "Don't mess with our munchies!" She popped the whole half in her mouth.

"That's attractive." Ed scoffed.

"Damn right!" Winry said through a mouth full of food.

The munchies were plenty though. After giving up on the cooler that was no longer producing roast beef, they moved on to the crates of fruit. One of which was a jack fruit bin. "We meet again." Ed glared at the offending green clod of a fruit. He took out a machete and hacked the top off and then down the center. It may have been the fruit massacre, but it tasted better than usual, killing your own food had some level of reward to it.

"What are you guys doing in here?" It was Roy who had entered. He saw a horror. A pile of wax paper, signaling the passing of nearly seven sandwiches. There were three hollowed out jack fruit, several bottles of single serving juice and two boxes of cookies had been deserted (no pun intended).

"Roy!" Ed was the first to cheerfully greet him. "Want a cookie?" He held up a cookie with a bite taken out.

"Get out!"

Before they knew it, they had been shooed from the tent. "Buzz kill." Al remarked on the way out.

Deciding it was best to not attempt another mission for food, they retired to their tents. Edward leaned toward Al and spoke quietly, "Can you stay in the girls tent tonight?"

"Why?"

Ed rolled his eyes.

"Oh, sure...uh, that is if Aria won't mind. I don't know if she's still mad." But she wasn't, the second he brought it up she pulled him in the tent with her and instructed the other two to go away.

Ed walked by Winry's side down the darkend dusty road. She stuttered a little, but gathered her words, "So...what you said about Farai...was that true?"

He nodded, "Yeah...does that bother you?"

Winry gave it a moment to process, "...no. I'm sure if things turned out differently, you wouldn't have allowed he to do that."

He agreed with a solemn nod.

"I trust you." She took hold of his arm and held it against her. "So...you don't think Al's going to...?" Winry mentioned.

Edward thought about it, "Nah," he walked next to her, "Do you want to?" he said with a suggestive smirk.

"It has been a while, hasn't it?" She laid her arms around his neck as they entered their tent for the evening.

Over in the other tent, things between Al and Aria had gotten resolved. He assure her that it would never happen again, promising never to drink again until he was old enough. "Unless it's a holiday." He joked.

"Fine," she thought he was serious, "But I'm counting how many you have."

He laughed, "Fair enough," his laugh was stifled by a hug, "..." he hugged her back. "I'm sorry..."

"It's okay," she said and kissed his cheek. "Um, are you staying with me? Or are you taking the other bed?" she didn't allow him time to answer before throwing some persuasion his way, "I get kind of cold at night sometimes."

He smiled warmly, "Sure...uh, you aren't suggesting...?" He hoped she would fill in the blanks.

"No, I don't have any protection...but...about that." They sat on the bed together. "I wanted to talk to you about that...when would be a good time for us. I was hoping for it before my eighteenth birthday."

Alphonse nodded, "I think that's fair."

"I'm glad," she said with a yawn. They snuggled close under the covers, spooning. "That means you have a little more than a year to build up the guts."

He snickered, "Me? What about you?" he nuzzled the back of her head and then stopped dead in his tracks, "Wait a second...little over a year?" He looked down at her as best he could in the dark tent. "...when is your birthday?" He realized he had never asked.

"February nineteenth."

Al did some math in his head, "...You're older than Ed by three months."

She shrugged, "Surprise," she giggled.

"I thought you were only fourteen...you look so-"

"-go ahead and say it." Small.

Al carefully placed his word, "Young."

"...I'll allow that." She laughed and pulled the blanket up to her nose. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," he said and relaxed into a restful sleep, not induced by wine.

* * *

With all that out of the way, it's time to go to the next story arc.

I'm sure this one was obvious, but I'll give a hint...where did Raul go? And how does Nathan feel about it?


	21. Chapter 21 To Save a Life

I re-did chapter 12 and 13. I don't know what you guys were thinking, chapter 12 was terrible! I fixed it to fit Aria's personality better. Less aggressive. I kind of did an overhaul on chapter 12, so you guys should go back and read that one at least, 13 only needed touch ups to fit the previous chapters.

Stop being so nice, be picky!

* * *

_**Chapter 21 - To Save a Life**_

* * *

Inhaling sharply, Ed stretched out like a cat. He was alone. Winry had stayed the night, but she was no where to be found come morning. Looking to his side, there was a cup of coffee with a note under it. A small dixie cup with medication in it. Lifting the coffee, which was still quite warm, he took a look at the note. 'Sorry, an alarm went off. Needed to get to work as soon as possible. Boiled you coffee, hope it's not cold.' That was the end. "Huh, guess it wasn't a huge emergency." She had time to make him coffee. He assumed it went off while she was making it. There were two sugar and no cream. Bitter and black with a sweet twinge. It wasn't the first time Winry had made him coffee. She perfected it to a tee.

Al came in as he sat up. "Morning." He said cheerfully.

"You seem in a good mood." He narrowed his eyes, a half smirk.

He shook his head, shooting down his brother's accusation, "We fell asleep right away. I was exhausted. You?"

Edward added in the other half of his smirk.

"Thought so." He chuckled, "How are you feeling," he said and looked down at this pill still sitting in the bottom of the small paper cup.

"My head hurts. I'm kind of cold. But good enough not to need that." If he wasn't up to snuff by tomorrow morning he'd be shipped off. "Maybe another session is in order."

Al shook his head. "I don't care for that stuff. It made everything feel like pins and needles. It served it purpose, I'm done." Having waited long enough for any alcohol to flush from his system, along with eating a small fortune worth of food, he felt refreshed. It was going to be a while before he touched a drink again.

The Elric brothers seemed to have things back on track by the end of their six day detox. They sat in front of the doctor who said they had no chance once again. "And here I am, biting my tongue," he said with a smile, giving them both a clean bill of health.

"Bite away Doc." Ed said with that usual bright smile and cocky demeanor.

The rainy season was indeed a dangerous one. Resembool got their rain in the spring, so it was bizarre to have it when it was supposed to be snow. Even though they were in what was considered a dryer section of the country, it still poured down in buckets. The heavy rainfall filled the water tower past its limit, causing it to fall over, injuring four people. One was severely injured, but he would make it through.

The base wasn't the only place that was effected by devastation. A village that lined the valley got hit with a mudslide that left a trail of destruction. The location in question was in no way primitive, in fact, it was close to becoming a city. A seniors home was destroyed, fortunately all occupants had been evacuated. The home collapsed into a building across the narrow road. As if that wasn't enough destruction to the powers that be, the apartment building the home crashed into had structural defects that made it crumble like sponge candy. Killing and trapping countless city workers, civilians and soldiers. There was no casualty count, but prospects looked grim.

Back at the base, Mustang walked with authority. He bombed his way into a storage tent to find the Elrics filling bags of sand and piling them on the back of a large dump truck. "Edward, come with me." Roy spoke firmly. He had his faithful assistant at his side, so it was no more fooling around.

He glanced Al who shrugged, "What's up?" he asked casually, unaware of the current situation.

Riza's eyebrow raised, "Sir," she held a file out to Mustang.

Glancing the section in question, he looked back up, "Alphonse, you as well," he commanded.

They followed Roy and Riza to a vehicle. This vehicle brought them to a large warehouse a short distance from camp. "This is about...?" Edward couldn't ask along the way, he was sitting in the back of the truck with some other soldiers. Also, Mustang was also the another vehicle. Now he stood side by side, trying to peek over the top of the paper his superior was reading. It was on too much of an angle to read.

"You need your drivers license. You're old enough and we need more drivers," he looked up to see several others who also needed their drivers license. "Was I the only one who wanted to start driving as soon as possible? How do you people pick up women? Chicks don't dig bicycles," he said with a huff and ruffled the side of his own hair. "Alright you hopeless fools, front an center."

"Alphonse, follow me." Riza was leading a few other soldiers, she collected him as well.

Al knew he wasn't old enough to drive, so why bring him along at all? "Can I ask what this is for?" Al was much more polite than Ed, that was obvious.

Riza didn't turn around, she spoke with no emotion, "I'm going to teach you all how to use a rifle."

Alphonse's eyes widened. "I'm not old enough to drive, but I can use a gun?" He didn't follow the logic.

She nodded. "The philosophy is different for these people. Boys grow up quickly and need to provide for their family. You are allowed to use a small hunting rifle at the age of twelve." Her fact shocked a few of them. "At fourteen you can use a large hunting rifle, sixteen a shotgun and handgun, eighteen you can use anything, including automatic weapons and explosives. Though that last two are for military use only. Are we ready?" She swung open a nearby cabinet revealing over a dozen large rifles.

That day was grim. The rain didn't help. A few hours in and they were granted a break. Food was provided, desert was not. Apparently they weren't suppose to be enjoying any part of their training. "Butter would have been nice," Ed complained about the bread. Even the grains mocked him.

Al sighed and didn't say a word.

"What's wrong with you? At least you're not being yelled at." Edward was scolded over thirteen times for stalling the vehicle. Guns were more difficult to use, so they were cut more slack than the new drivers. More so because all of them should have had a license before they got there.

"That's not it." He pushed his bowl forward and looked over at a few other soldiers, aiming at targets. "Shooting the gun is fun, hitting the target is rewarding, but soon I'll have to aim at living things. People..."

"Al, these people chose to be terrorists, you have no control over that."

With a shake of his head he pointed an empty spoon at his brother. "What about that guy who took you away? The one playing Raul? He was being forced into this."

Edward shook his head. "...I don't know."

"With people being forced and some joining, how am I suppose to make that distinction?"

Edward saw his point, but tried to lighten the mood, "Al, did you know that over ninety percent of bullets don't hit anyone?"

"That has to do with this...?"

"It's hard to aim when you're running, most fire is suppressive. It doesn't hit anyone."

"Why would they need to teach you how to aim then?"

"It teaches you how to control your shots."

He thought about it, "That makes sense." After finishing their food, it was back to work. Alphonse seemed to be more into it. His aim was so impressive, Riza made note of it. Now that he knew he didn't necessarily have to kill, it lightened the mental load.

"How're they doing?" Roy pulled Riza to the side to get an update on the crew.

"Well, Roger and Mick-"

"No-no, Elric." He specified, "I want to know how the younger brother's doing. Ed seems to be fine. Full of fire, as usual" They were aware of the trouble the brothers had gone through, so this was truly a test of will for them. Ed bounced back nicely and was back to his usual self.

"Lethargic at first, but after break he became more focused. Why? You didn't put anything in his food, did you?" She noted the jump in Al's attitude too.

"No..." He glanced to Al who beamed about hitting the target closer than any the others. "He didn't touch a drink, did he?"

She shook her head, "No, I made sure." Riza had the soldiers leave their things in the truck and empty their pockets to avoid someone sneaking anything in that may effect performance. Be it for good or for bad.

They didn't think to check the boots though. "Hey," a soldier, named Russell, held a flask toward Al, "Nip?" The side of his boot had a compartment made especially for such a possession.

Al's eyes got large and excited momentarily but he quickly refused, not wanting to fall off the wagon, "No thanks."

Russell scoffed, "More for me." And they went back to work.

The impending sunset forced them to finish up. They were instructed to return to base. Ed had successfully obtained a military grade license, enabling him to drive military vehicles only. And Al came back, holding a gun in hand. "Learn to miss? Kind of seems counterproductive."

"Learn to do it wrong. Nah, ass backwards feels right. This is the military, right?"

"Words like that could get you in trouble."

"I don't care," he said and tossed a set of keys on top of his pillow. Pulling his arms behind his head one at a time, he stretched his shoulders. "They said I held the wheel too hard. I can see what they mean now."

"Hello?" a young girls voice sounded from the doorway. Aria stepped in and looked at the brothers. "How was it?"

"Annoying." They both answered.

"Oh," she was shocked. "I haven't been having a very good go of the day either." She reached behind her head and pulled her bun out, revealing hair only a little past her shoulders. "May stole my hair." It usually traveled down to her mid-back.

Their eyes widened, knowing how protective girls could be about her hair. "I'm sorry," Al began sympathetically.

"I've been cool as a cucumber up until now. This was the last straw!" She clenched her fists.

Alphonse had only seen her angry mode once and didn't want to nurture the aura. He rose to his feet and held her shoulders, "Before you do any-"

"I want it back!" she demanded.

"What? Why?" Sentimentality, possibly.

"I want it back. If I get it back, I can reattach it." She explained the her alchemy was also branching into cosmetics. If a hairstyle went awry, she could transmute the hair back to her head. The only problem with this was that it needed to have the large knot brushed out of it. When the hair bonded itself back, some strands crossed over and caused a mat under the first layer.

After successfully retrieving the lock and adhering it to its rightful resting place, there was a noticeable chunk missing. "She's doing voodoo on it. I know it." Aria said gloomily as she braided the shorter piece of hair with some yellow ribbon.

"Do you really believe in that?" Al sat cross-legged next to her in her tent.

She tied the end with some thin wire, for elastics were a thing of luxury. "...I'm not looking forward to finding out." To Aria's fortune, the next day ushered her off to the town in the valley. Winry and the Elric brothers, along with Mustang's team, all ended up going.

"And here I thought I wouldn't have to dig again." He had driven a truck load of soldiers in. Upon further inspection he found out the status of the damage. The building that had collapsed yesterday still had people trapped beneath it. "Another!" Ed yelled as he lifted a slab of stone. There was a bloodied hand hidden underneath.

Winry rushed to his side, stumbling over the rocks and boulders as she went. Leaning down, she took hold of the exposed limb. "There's still a pulse!" A few men from around came over to assist with moving the remaining debris. With a quick and certain decision, she determined that the man was to lose his legs. They had been crushed for hours, if they took off the stone, his body would flood with myoglobin, killing his kidneys. He begged not to have the procedure done. A translator tried to inform him of the consequences, but the man said he would no longer be able to support his family and he was better off dead.

The translator tried to coax his worries, "_In times of major crisis, people have a tendency not to think straight. A dead man cannot provide anything._"

His response was strikingly honest, "_I'd be worth more if I were dead. In fact, it would be a blessing. My family would feel obligated to care for me. I'm only an unproductive mouth to feed. Show them mercy!_"

Later that night, the man took his own life. The first life Winry saved that day was thrown away carelessly. She sat on the edge of her bed and wiped tears from her eyes. Seeing someone blowing into their intravenous tube was a jarring sight, so was the massive heart attack to follow. For someone to have such selflessness coupled with self-destructiveness shook her deep down. "I tried to pull the cord from his hand, but he shoved me away." She rubbed the bruise she got from being knocked into a shelf on her way to the floor.

Ed rubbed her back, not knowing what to say. He made an attempt at talking a few times, signaled by a syllable that stopped short of a full word, but no more. He appreciated that Winry stayed silent, allowing him to collect his wits. "All...you really can do, is what you've been doing. Trying to save lives. You're not going to be able to save them all, and if you worry about doing that, you're going to end up like this every time."

She caught her breath and laid across his lap. "I know...its still hard. I'm sure he may have done it when he went home anyway."

He nodded, "I'm sure if he knew it when the building fell, he'd have given up before we found him." The two day excursion yielded a death tole of fourteen. Many were fatally wounded and plenty were severely wounded. There was no gray area. You were either with death, or on his doorstep.

Aria was rattled too, she wasn't one for blood. Seeing so much all at once on the wreckage made her faint. She had been doing good all day, right up until they brought in heavy machinery to move the larger pieces. An individual, unidentifiable at that point, was discovered under the largest concrete slab. She laid eyes on the person, crushed as though he were a bug. Her next memory was waking up in the back of a truck. Farai was squeezing water from a cloth over her forehead.

"For someone who had been sequestered for so long, it's amazing, her resilience..." Aria was referring to Farai, Nathan's younger sister. "I suppose she's been desensitized." She meant 'numb', but figured her wording was gentler.

"Maybe...this is a different place. The culture shock was enough, but to see it like this...kind of makes me happy to live where I do." He grabbed a teapot off the small fire and poured them some drinks. Lemon tea. It seemed food was the only source of relief when they were there.

The week that followed soaked the landscape. Some miners were trapped this time. It was the middle of the night so the roads were treacherous and provided no security from the elements. "I'm spinning out," Ed exclaimed as he shoulder checked to see his rear wheels rotating wildly but making no distance. The men in the back picked up boulders of various sizes to jam beneath the wheels in just such an occasion.

"No good, they keep sinking!" A worker yelled from behind, "Try backing up!"

Edward pulled the vehicle into reverse and rolled over the small portions of rocks built up. He changed gears and moved forward with force, propelling himself and the rest of the occupants over the gap. He marked that as their fifth jam of the evening. Driving was a nuisance.

They arrived in under an hour. Even with the rain mercilessly pounding them. The mine shaft that dipped down was filling with water. Numerous times they tried to get someone to swim down there with a rope, but no one could make it in time. They would run out of air due to the depth.

"Give me the rope." Edward extended his hand.

The man holding the rope handed it off, "Don't go farther than you think you can. We don't need to be fishin' you out of there too." After the mine dipped down fifteen feet, it went back up on a slope. Essentially, it created an additional wall of water that spanned thirty feet. If not for the long drop, rescue would have been a breeze.

"Where are you going?" Al held a gun against his chest and a hand over his eyes, shielding some of the rain.

He pointed down in the water filled hole. It was building up faster than they could pump. "I'll sink quicker than the rest of them because of my leg." He wrapped a rope around his arm several times.

"Wait!" he exclaimed. But it was for naught, his brother held his breath and stepped into the water. He sunk like a stone. He saw three other workers holding a rope, a safety measure in case Ed didn't make it out on his own. "..."

Seconds passed and Ed made it to the other side of the water. His eyes began to sting as he reached the surface. He emerged with the rope and gave it a pull, showing that he made it to the other side. "Hold on!" He instructed the men as he tugged up his left pant leg. His automail leg sported a white coating. "Salt...the mine has acid run off." The water was being tainted with poison that alkalized with metal to form salt, hydrogen sulfide. The workers doused Edward in what little clean water they had to avoid further damage.

If anymore time was wasted, it was going to spell trouble for them, the water would be too volatile to venture into. Wounded miners still needed to be dealt with, there was no chance they'd all make it back. If they tried to wait out the storm, the chamber could fill with gas that paralyzed the lungs. They truly were stuck between a rock and a hard place.

"We have to chance it." A worker pulled on the rope and it came toward him with ease. "What's this now..." he said curiously and continued pulling on the rope. It produced a frayed end, one not tied to safety.

"Fine...you first," Ed ruthfully suggested as he stared at an orange substance trickling into the water from a crack in the wall. Hydrogen sulfide and hydrochloric acid, a truly lethal combination.


	22. Chapter 22 Drawbacks

So I have to backtrack a little bit. I **almost** wrote myself into a corner. I forgot about an idea I had a while ago and just remembered it now. So, eff' the 'trapped in a mine' bit and we will move on to better things. I'll trap them in something else! Muhahaha. Luckily the mine lined me up for another good idea, so it wasn't all a waste.

* * *

**_Chapter 22 - Drawbacks_**

* * *

Edward bit his lip as he looked down at the caustic water. Being doused in clean water wasn't enough to stop the corrosive properties of the mine water all the way. He examined his arms, they were covered in small red spots. "Dammit," they burned too much to scratch. He never had a chemical burn before, so he had no clue how to deal with it, besides ignoring it. "We have to move."

"There's not enough light to read the map. We could be wandering around in the dark forever." The lantern in question was fading fast, soon it too would be engulfed in darkness.

Edward shook his head and got up with a slight strain. He then pointed at the water, "As soon as the water reaches a certain point of contamination, we won't be able to breathe. You can stay if you want. The rest of you," he turned and looked at the small collection of men, "we need to make distance. Are any of you injured?"

They looked side to side to see the majority of them standing. One man sat and had a bandaged hand. He shrugged it off, "I'd worry about him," the same man pointed at an unmoving body.

"Dammit, no," Ed said as he slowly approached the man laying face down. "Can you hear me?" He laid a concerned hand on his shoulder and shook him lightly.

The guy groaned, "Oooh, so hungry," and rolled over.

"Ling!" Ed snarled, "What are you doing down here?"

"So hungry," he whimpered on the ground, "Fainted, fell in, couldn't go back."

Ed grabbed him by the scruff and shook him till he stood on his own. "Are you anemic? Get the hell up!"

Ling brushed off his clothes and straightened out, "Second wind."

"I swear you just do these things to piss me off," Ed grumbled. It was as if nothing was wrong with him. He ruffled his bangs in an attempt to wipe the 'stupid' from his brain.

"No more complaining, lets go." Ling began walking down the hall.

Ed clenched a very angry fist, "That's my line!" Everybody wandered off in the darkend mine. Clearing nearly half a kilometer, Ed halted them, "I think I feel a breeze." Sure enough, he did. The breeze blew the lantern out. Edward felt along a wall, "I think there's a door," he said and immediately found a latch. After a few good heaves with a crowbar fortunately on hand, the old metal door popped off. Beneath them, was a large ravine with a sloping cliff. Now that a door was opened, it allowed enough light to see the rest of the map.

"That's pretty steep," Ling said as he looked over the edge.

Ed examined the map. "I don't know which exits are effected by the landslide. Let's check the first one here," Looking down, at the map, they got their barrings and began walking again. Eventually even the workers admitted that none of them realized the size of the mine before. It never seemed to stretch on like this before. Then came a sound, quiet at first and then it grew slightly louder.

"Radio static?" Ling suggested.

Ed listened on intently. "They're sounding it at an exit." He cracked a wide smile. In less than an hour, they were under a blue sky once again.

Winry took the boys to a small tent to tend to their burns. She began blotting the worst ones with a cooling ointment. Ed looked at Winry glazing his arms. Maybe he only noticed it now because she was the one bandaging him up, but he sure got hurt a lot. A random doctor wasn't a big deal, but seeing the worry in _her_ eyes struck a cord within him. Ling's wounds weren't as bad so he was led to the truck. "Sorry to worry you so much."

"I'm used to it by now," she coaxed him with a kiss on the cheek. "Remember, I'm close by and ready to patch you back up," she looked at the leg with a horrified expression, "What is covering your leg?"

"The acid in the water calcifies with certain metals." Ed's cheeks turned a bit red, "By the way...something I wanted to mention earlier...it kind of slipped my mind." Edward rubbed the side of his neck, "Ling, the annoying one...he's going to be a father."

Winry looked shocked and bemused, "Really?" she said, finding it rather odd because Ed never came across to her as a gossip.

"Yeah..." he said, fighting with his words. He was sure his face was turning beat red at this point. This was a question that was going to come up one day. He figured he might as well get it out of the way now, while he was able to actually bring it up in conversation. "I never did ask you...if you ever wanted kids." He tried to look away, but desperately needed to see her reaction.

"I've been so busy lately I doubt I'd have time for that right now. I do have to hand down the family business. So, someday." She hadn't realized that her calm and collected answer made Edward really angry. How dare she have a plan! "Why? What brought this up all of a sudden?"

He still wanted to be honest with her, "We've been in a lot of dangerous situations...I don't know..."

"Edward," she began but stopped short. With a gentle gesture, she hugged him close, carefully. It was comforting seeing Edward so concerned about his own well being. It also showed that he cared about her, and being with her. After they got home, she hoped that they may settel down someday. She didn't have an exact date for any of this, but that wasn't really a concern.

When they finished blotting and bandaging the caustic burns, it was time to leave. Roy dangled the keys in front of Ed's face. There was an open back truck beckoning to be driven. "I'm injured," he protested.

"Your legs aren't broken and you don't need the skin on your arms to drive," he dropped the keys in his hand and walked in the direction of the truck.

"I'm pretty sure you do," Al said after Mustang was out of earshot. The fact that Mustang was in an unusually grumpy mood today didn't go unnoticed.

"Wonder what's got him." Ed twirled the keys on his finger. Everyone piled in the truck. Ed and Al sat up front while the others lined the seats on either side of the truck. Roy sat in the middle, back facing where they were going.

The jungle in this particular location was rich with a lot of ground vegetation; vegetation that didn't fancy being driven over. It slapped the front of the bumper and immediately surrendered to the ground. The plants that managed to avoid the pummeling of the truck, whipped by, slapping and scratching anyone in their wake. Roy sat peacefully in the middle, unscathed by the barrage of branches. They were glad the road would begin soon.

"You seem bothered," Aria made an attempt at conversation.

"They sent us out here with no weaponry and one officer isn't enough to watch after you kids."

"Not even with your flame alchemy?" Ed asked from the drivers seat.

"Sure it would work against wildlife, but an explosion could alert any nearby terrorists. You've seen what they can do, I'd rather not be accosted by thugs." He shut his eyes.

Ed raised an eyebrow, "I see," he too thought it was strange. With that notion in mind, they made it back to the road, if you could call it that. It was a pot hole filled death trap for vehicles. It closely resembled swiss cheese.

The countryside was beautiful. Lush trees and a crystal blue river. "The bridge is up ahead," Roy said as he turned around to see on ahead. It was difficult to recognize anything with all the thrashing the vehicle was doing, but he managed. He made out a truck parked on the opposite side of the bridge and a figure standing at the halfway point.

"I think I see Hawkeye," Ed said as he did his best to navigate the treacherous terrain. The curve to the bridge was steep and still kind of muddy. The wheels spun and squealed as they mounted the crest. Ed paused before he even put the wheels on the first board of the pathway leading to the other side. "No way," he said and shook his head quickly. "Can't do it!" Edward removed his hands from the wheel.

"Why not?" Roy demanded. But it was no use, Ed had removed his seat belt and hopped in the back next to Roy.

"Nope," he shook his head, "I haven't even been driving for a full month yet, and you want me to risk that? No way. Not with this many passengers." And he folded his arms.

"You can be such a pain," Roy hopped in the front and began to pull forward.

"Oi!" Ed yelled, "Seat belt." He pointed.

Roy rolled his eyes and did as instructed, "Pain in my..."

Ed grinned because he didn't really enjoy driving, and it titillated him to get under Roy's skin. Granted, getting places sooner was convenient, but it was still a hassle. He preferred the train any day. Edward looked around to the others who had come along. Winry and Aria were going over some notes on a few patients. Ling straightened one of the bandages on his arm. He may not have been badly burned, but the fall did scrape him up quite a bit. And Al was looking over the edge of the passenger side as they crept over the bridge.

He turned back to the others "This thing is sturdy, right?" He had crossed it on the way here, but was in far too much of a rush to care at the time. Now that he was relaxed, it made him tense. Which was confusing. It was woven with thick ropes around logs made from many trees. They crossed beneath the bridge, making it sturdy. The trees used were not that thick. The river ran fast, so many more narrower trees meant it had better hydrodynamics.

"It's been here for years and hasn't faltered once," Roy said from the front seat. He put the truck in neutral and slowly coasted to the person standing mid-bridge. It was Riza, a serious look as usual, holding a letter. "Captain Hawkeye, what brings you here? I thought I was their bare minimum."

"I'm only here to deliver a message," she said, extending the letter to him.

He plucked it from her hand. "Is it cold?" was all the paper said. "Hawkeye, who was this from?" Before she could answer him, a loud bang shook the trees and rattled in everyone's ears. At either end of the bridge, a detonation caused the structure to crumble and tilt. Everyone in the truck shifted and were nearly thrown into the rushing water below.

"One more!" was shouted from an unknown location. It signaled another small explosion. This one dislodged the bridge from the remaining supports and sent it careening down the streaming rapids.

"Did we lose anyone?" Aria yelled from beneath the truck. The last jolt nearly sent her flying over the edge. She looked up to see Roy leaning over the edge. "Edward," she yelled to the closest person to them and pointed him out.

Ed leapt for the same thing Roy did, Riza. She was nearly on top of one of the explosions and was knocked unconscious from it. Her body was somewhat tangled in the bridge wreckage, so she wasn't going to fall unless they let go. There was one problem, her arms were soaked and slippery. Since the military understood the heat issue with the uniforms, they had allowed the option of wearing casual. A bonus that was now coming back to haunt them. "Dammit," Ed overextended down and grabbed the holster around her waist and hoisted her aboard. "A lot of good that did us," he panted and looked around. Winry rushed to Riza's side.

"I don't think we could swim in this," Ling looked all around. The river was so wide that there was no hope of getting to shore. The overhanging trees were either too high up or too flimsy to be of any use.

"Maybe the river will get narrower downstream," Aria suggested.

They sighed. That was their only hope right now. The bridge was too heavy to steer with the truck on it. If they pushed it off, the unbalanced weight would flip them. "Is there anything in the truck? Rope? Flare?" Roy asked as he rummaged through a front compartment. Everyone looked but found nothing of any use.

"How long is the river?" Aria asked as she took a seat on the back bumper.

"What river is this? Paraguay? About one thousand, six hundred miles." Al said, quoting a text book he read on the way to Aerugo.

She gave him a blank stare for a couple seconds then stood up without saying a word. She walked over to, and plopped down on, the side of the floating bridge that was furthest from the shore line. "I guess that give us a bit of time." She stuck her feet in the water and began kicking.

Winry sighed and joined her. "Why not." And she proceeded to kick. Riza had been looked after and now all that was left was allowing her to wake up on her own. "If nothing else, we'll pass the time."

Roy bundled a jacket he found in the truck beneath Riza's head, supporting her neck better. "I'm sure they'll be sending someone." He shielded his eyes from the sun. The men in the vehicle who were with Riza had left after the explosion.

"I'm worried. What was that letter about?" Edward sat next to the girls and kicked his feet in the water.

"It is strange. Who would want to do this? I'm not even a head officer." His mind immediately jumped to Raul. After all, they hadn't apprehended him during the raid. He was definitely out for blood. Then there was Edward. Raul mentioned his dislike for the boy and it wouldn't have surprised him at all if this was just to get back at him. A notion he kept to himself. The last thing he needed was Edward beating himself up over it.

Ling took a seat on the hood of the car, legs folded. "I hate to interrupt, but we might want to use caution." Everyone looked in the direction Ling was pointing. What they saw was far worse than any waterfall. It's beady eyes were the only thing that could be seen.

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There you have it. Sorry it took so long. I had writers block, then I was sick, then the doctor's appointments... I've been run ragged this last while. It feels good to get another chapter posted though.


	23. Chapter 23 What you Lose

Sorry that took so long. Like I said, I almost wrote myself into a corner, so It's just taking me a little more to bounce back.

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_**Chapter 23 - What you Lose**_

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The eyes bobbed up and down, floating silently beside the raft. "I guess this means swimming is totally out?" Ling questioned, still perched on the hood. "I could lead him away." He attempted a swan dive.

Ed snatched Ling right out of the air. "Sit down you idiot!" He dropped him beside the others in the back.

Roy gathered up his friend with Winry's help and laid her in the truck bed. He put the door up; locking it soundly.

"Is it an alligator?" Aria held the side of the edge of the truck bed and poked only out to her nose.

"Alligators live mainly on land," Roy pointed at the creature, "It's got a wide snout and visible bottom teeth," its head became visible for a moment. He then flipped it's large reptilian body below the surface, "It's a crocodile."

"It heard you!" she cowered. All they could do was watch the cold blooded eyes examine them. After the crock incident back at the base, everyone was educated on how to spot one. "Oh," Aria said and rose to look at it, slowly. "Is it even interested in us?"

"I don't think. Keep your limbs inside the truck and we should be fine," Roy stood up and glanced around the perimeter of the truck. There was no blood, so no threat of attracting them with hopes of food. He looked down at the strange indentation in the hood of the hood and tried to makes sense of how came to be. He recalled the first two detonations. When the first ones went off, Riza was in between one and the truck. He turned back, "Is Riza showing any bruising on her cheeks?"

Winry used two finger tips to gently check her cheek bones. "Yes. Her right side is starting to swell." Further examination revealed her shins had been broken. The splinters of bone that protruded through the skin were removed and her legs quickly reset. They fashioned a splint around each. When someone wasn't able to tell you where it hurt, it was hard to know what to look for. It did however make it easier when you needed to bend their bones with no anesthetic. Now all they needed was something to take down the swelling. "So much for a cold compress," Winry tipped an empty canteen upside down. There wasn't a drop of water on the whole truck.

"Is that crocodile still out there?" Aria asked.

"I wouldn't chance it," Edward said, "Those things are smart. It could be lying in wait."

She thought for a moment, "So we beat it with logic." Aria went for a length of rope that was left over from the splints. She tied a rag to it. "Someone throw it, I don't have a good arm."

"Ah, good idea." Roy took hold and tossed it into the water. It landed on the surface with a light 'plop'. Seconds later it was snatched from said surface with a force that alleviated Roy of the cloth and the rope. Everything was tugged beneath the murky depths. They all stood in awe, jaws ajar with horror.

"Nature, one. Logic, zero." Ed declared.

"Nature, zero. Ling, one!" Everyone turned to see Ling holding a cold cloth to Riza's face. "Thanks for distracting him. I soaked this one on the other side."

They sighed in relief. Maybe a sweat drop or two.

As time went by, the sun began to sink toward the horizon. "We're going to be eaten alive." Aria shivered as she sat in the corner of the truck seats on the floor.

"I don't think anything can get us out here. Don't worry," Winry said quietly from beside her.

She slapped her own neck, "I meant by the bugs." She clarified.

"I found a tarp," Al announced. Before the sun had gone down completely, they checked the side compartments by leaning over the edge. "We could tie it with the last few pieces of that nylon rope to the corners."

Night was cold. For a place so hot and humid during the day, it sure turned into a cold snap during the evening. What made it worse was that no one had come to retrieve them. Also, Riza wasn't waking up. Roy assumed the indentation on the hood of the truck was where she hit when the bomb went off. There was no way of telling if there were any spinal or head injuries until she awoke.

The first night was hard, but the sun still rose the next day as it always did. The tarp was peeled back to reveal Ling, sitting on the hood. He peered over his own shoulder, "Good morning. We're on a different path now."

Ed crawled up quickly and held the front window. The river broke off and the larger one continued on south while this one gently sloped westward. "Why didn't you wake us?" he groaned.

"Would it have changed the direction of the raft? I figured you would prefer sleep, as apposed to news like this." He defended his decision well and Ed calmed down.

Ed rested his cheek on his fist, his elbow supporting him on the windshield. "Whatever. Like this is going to get worse." Everyone on the truck shot him a glance as if to communicate 'why would you say that?'.

The sky was an unforgiving harlot that day. She wore no clouds and flashed a sunshine that made any sane person hot under the collar. Roy slid a toasty forearm over his slick forehead. Within the truck was a small collection of canteens that contained no water. This time it was life or death, so the rope idea needed to be attempted once again. The rope was tied to a canteen and tossed into the water. It was brought up and boiled in another metal canteen using Mustang's alchemy. The water was then transferred to the original canteen and thrown back into the water to cool for a few minutes. Heat exhaustion was something that was a definite possibility that needed to be addressed.

"For once I'm glad you're here," Ed declared as he twisted his shirt, ringing it of excess water.

"Words of praise," Ling smiled, "From such an unlikely person." Ed shot him a glare. Ling's speed and agility allowed him to soak their clothing to stay cool.

As they slowly made their way down the river, the rout that split them from their original course, led them to a flat body of water. "We drifted to the sea?" Roy held a hand over his eyes to shield the sun. They had been close to the western sea, but he didn't think that they'd have drifted so far so quickly.

Ed hopped down to the raft slowly, keeping his eye on the water. He cupped a bit of water in his hand and drank it. "It's fresh water. This is a lake."

"Is fresh water where crocodiles live?" Aria asked. Her heart pounded in her chest; more so when she heard stirring behind her. "She's moving," referring to Riza. With some will power and make-shift paddles, they rowed to shore. Aria peered through the clearing water, "I haven't seen anything swimming around in a while. Maybe we're out of it's territory." There was no telling if a crocodile was watching them, but it looked like they were safe for now.

"I hope so," Roy said as he and Ed carefully removed Riza from the back of the truck. They laid her on a few logs they made into a stretcher.

After getting the truck ashore, they gave it a more extensive search. Only a few useful items came to the surface. A hammer, nails, five separate tarps, three nine inch machetes and a large first aid kit. No guns or food. The machetes were all they needed to hunt anyway.

They set out to build shelter. Three tarps constructed two walls and a ceiling. The remaining two were suspended from trees near the front and back entrances. The rainy season was making way for the sunshine that day and they needed shade badly. The season was only halfway over, but it was still prone to it's hot days.

Winry pressed a cold wet cloth to Riza's swollen cheek and forehead, "This will have to make due." She was showing signs of consciousness but had not fully awoken yet. Winry applied some cream to Edward's back and arms. She only touched up the larger burns, for if not treated he was risking serious infection. Now that they no longer had a sound facility to reside in, the risk for infection was greatly increased.

"Do we wait here?" Al asked, "If they're sending out a search party, we shouldn't be moving around or we'll miss them."

Roy nodded, "While that may be true, if we stay still, we could be spotted by the enemy or even moved in on by wild animals."

"I think we should stay," Winry began, "We can't move around with her like this. It's not good for her, and it certainly won't be easy for anyone who has to carry her."

"We do have enough resources to make shelter," Mustang examined the area. It was a plateau home to some stout spiny bushes. Beyond that, by many feet, were trees. If an animal sniffed them out, they would see it coming. There was no cover for about thirty feet. The same rule applied to the enemy. While they did risk being seen, it was a chance that needed to be taken. "We should make small shelters that use the landscape. The less attention we draw, the better."

They left two of the tarps up to shield Riza from the elements and took the rest to make sturdy shelters for the evening, if need be. It was early in the morning and the sun had yet to reach it's peak. There still wasn't a cloud in sight. Two more shelters were constructed around the first one. As instructed, they used the landscape. The baby palms made for excellent supports. Each shelter was made on an angle to allow the rain to flow off, but not so much of an angle that it took away from the side swept rain. The remaining tarp was folded and put away in case they needed it for something else. They made enough room for everyone to sleep comfortably. "Time for some food." Winry said as she held her stomach.

"Do we know what's safe?" Roy asked.

"Yeah, yeah," Ed said as he tapped a machete against his hand, the dull side carefully aimed down. "Al, you come with me."

"Sure," he said and grabbed a knife.

"I'll build something to cook on," Ling declared and went to search out a location far enough away from the tents.

"I can find firewood," Winry added in.

"I'll find things we can use for rope," Roy stated.

"I-" Aria looked to her side, "Can watch over Riza. Don't want a wild boar to take off with her."

They went their separate ways, except for Aria who sat near an unconscious Riza. She pulled her knees close and took deep breaths in an attempt to calm herself down. It was one thing to be in a war torn country, it was another to be there by yourself with little to no shelter or security. Her eyes scanned the immediate horizon for any movement and listened for even the lightese snap of a twig.

When everyone got back, they fashioned a net with the use of Al's alchemy. They strung the net across a small inlet and dropped it to the bottom. It was suspended across a shallow part of the lake so they could gather water for drinking or bathing without fear. Staying there for a few days was unavoidable, the crocodiles were not. The safety net kept them out. Finally, they circled their camp site with dried brush and small twigs. If they were disturbed, it was going to be heard. This way nothing could sneak into the 'safe water' and pop out for a quick bite of an unsuspecting limb.

Even with the right precautions in place, it didn't settle Aria's mind. The only thing that would take her mind off the situation was if she had something else to do. But with Riza out like a light, that wasn't possible. She decided to take matters into her own hands. "Riza," she shook her lightly. "Come on, you have to wake up." Aria jumped back in surprise when she got a response.

"Mnnn." Was all Riza managed.

"Can you hear me?" Aria got close to her ear. She was sure to speak slowly and used a calm tone. Riza nodded and attempted a few words. Her throat was far too parched. "You need water? I'd imagine, you've been out for a while." She carefully poured some water into her mouth. "Rest for now, but try to stay awake." With a head injury, there was no telling how serious it was until she was examined. Winry would have to do that. Aria however was instructed to keep her awake in fear of her slipping into a coma.

What felt like an eternity, was only a matter of five minutes. Edward was the first one back, Roy showed up almost immediately afterward. Aria informed them of the good news.

Roy knelt down at Riza's side and replaced a cold compress. "Can you hear me clearly?" he asked. After seeing her nod he smiled. "You had us worried. Do you think you can handle a few more questions?" He saw her nod once again. "First off, who handed you the letter you gave me?"

There were a few moments of silence, "I don't know what you mean." Her eyes were nearly swollen completely shut, but she managed to see vague outlines of people. Nothing she could identify though.

"Don't worry about it for now. We'll wait till you feel more up to talking." He rested a second cold cloth on another part of her face, careful not to obstruct her breathing.

The rest of the day was cool. It was overcast and threatened them with rain. If it rained too hard, they'd have to move to higher ground; and the only higher ground was within the trees. Luckily the rain held off for the remainder of the day. Shortly before sunset, Riza was rested enough to get a few coherent thoughts across. "How long have I been asleep?" was her first question.

"About a day." Roy answered.

"Really?" she said with disbelief. Riza held up her right arm and examined it carefully. The swelling in her face had gone down only enough for her to use one eye. "I was sure I'd broken my arm."

Winry shook her head, "Nope. You did fracture your shins though."

She lowered her arm to her chest, "I see..."

"Something wrong?" Winry asked.

"...no...I distinctly remember injuring my arm is all. I'm just surprised how little it hurts." Where she was thrown against the hood of the truck left a bruise in it's wake. Both arms on the underside, the base of her rib cage and thighs were badly bruised.

Winry continued her examination. Asking where it hurt when she touched or moved something. To her delight, she hadn't broken any ribs. "Not a single broken rib. What are you built of?" she joked.

This comment was given a silent treatment for a time. Finally Riza spoke up, "I still can't believe I'm so banged up from such a small spill." She sounded worried. "What heppened to me?"

"...come again?" Winry didn't consider an explosion 'small' let alone a 'spill'.

"I fell down the stairs and I hooked it in the railing as I fell," she said without any hesitation, "Why isn't it sore? And why is my face so swollen?"

"Stairs?" Winry said slowly, "You were..."

"Wait," Roy said quickly. He went to Riza's side. "Do you know where you're at?"

She shrugged. Riza was becoming slightly more panicked than before, "I'm not sure. You've had me outside all this time though, that I'm certain of." Riza jolted and tried to move to get up, but winced in pain. "Please, I need a phone. Aah-" she said and doubled back.

"We don't have one here. Calm down, what do you need?" Roy guided her to lay down again.

She panted from the exertion of moving. "I need to call the sitter over. I can't care for father if I can't walk. He must need his medication by now."

Roy was shocked. The day he met Riza came to mind suddenly. It was a strange feeling, calling that day up again. Since they met, he hadn't been apart from her for very long, so recalling the first day they met wasn't something he ever needed to do. Maybe it popped into his mind because the day they met was a day before she got a cast removed from her right arm. She got it after falling down her basement stairs.

Ed wasn't too sure on Riza's back story, but he was sure her father had passed a long time ago. "Now what?"

Roy stood up and looked around to the small group he now had to look out for. The Elric's, Ling and the three girls. "Now?" he began, "Now, we can't trust anyone from the military. We need to get back to the camp on our own. Without Riza's memory of who gave her that letter, we have no clue on who we can trust." He gave a frustrated groan, "Let's make some permanent shelters. Looks like we're laying some roots here for a while."

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VA-BAM! There you go.

Opinions?


	24. Chapter 24 To Help Another

I did some editing to chapter 11. You guys should go check it out. :)

Sorry this took so long, but I've been stuck! I tried to make the fight scene as intense as I could. Let me know what you think.

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_**Chapter 24: To Help Another**_

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What began as a band of seven was knocked down to six. Over the course of the second evening, they lost someone. As if being trapped in an unforgiving jungle wasn't bad enough, now the search for Riza was on. They knew she hadn't been taken away against her will. One of the machete's they had went missing. The missing knife was what made them think she ran off, rather than was taken away. She took it for self-defense.

"How far can someone get on two broken legs?" Aria asked as she sliced through the brush with a machete. She pulled her bag closer to her chest as they mounted a downed tree.

"I'd say pretty far," Roy snapped a branch out of his way and glanced around. He checked for signs of a trail. "You have to realize, though she may not know who she is right now, she's a hardened soldier. Her body is trained to take a lot." The search went on for hours and there was still no sign of Riza. Plenty of indications of where she'd been, but neither hide nor hair of where she was. Suddenly Roy paused and examined the area. "She set false trails...they stop here...hold on. Look up," he instructed.

"For what? You're not implying Riza climbed a tree," Aria said perplexed.

Roy's eyes slinked along the bows above them, "Snakes," he said in almost a whisper. "It's the only thing in this place that won't leave a trail." They stood back to back, sure to have the best view. "If she was attacked by a snake, she may be up there."

Time ticked by as they all scanned the bows for something that slithered. Out of the corner of her eye, Aria saw a small piece of bark fall from a tree. For a half-second, she let out a shrill cry. She pointed an accusing finger in the direction of the disturbance.

"...I don't see anything," Ed assured her.

"No, you're not supposed to." Roy smirked and took a step in the direction of the largely moss covered tree. He shuffled around to the side and saw a small opening. An off color plant was his focus. He pulled the foliage away. It revealed a cowering captain, wedged betwixt the trunks of two mighty jungle trees. No sooner had he locked eyes with her that a boot came flying at his face, knocking him over backward.

Riza let out a grunt as she kicked. Panting, she slowly retracted her leg. Sweat dripped down her brow. With a wheeze she tried to keep herself upright. "Back off!" she said and reached behind her. She brandished the hunting knife she had pilfered.

"Please, Riza. You're in no condition to do this," Aria spoke up, trying to reason with her.

"When your adrenaline wears off, that's going to be the worst pain you ever felt. Come out of there Riza, we're not going to hurt you," Ed snapped at her.

Tears made their way down her face, clearing a peach line where they fell. "I'll kill you if you come close!" She wasn't thinking clearly, possibly confused from a fever. Her face was flushed with red and she was sweating off her mud camoflage.

Roy, still dazed from the kick, sat up and saw her holding the knife out, ready to strike. He wiped some mud from his brow. He caught Ed's eye, as if to say 'pay close attention'. "We don't have time for this," he said and grabbed Riza by behind her knee and with a quick motion he tugged her out into the open.

Immediately Ed rushed to his side, suspecting a fight. He quickly realized how 'tempered' a soldier she truly was; and that wasn't referring to her temperament. This woman's muscles had the properties of tempered steel. Ed took a brawny, well aimed, fist to the cheek before he got her in an arm-lock. Roy quickly removed the knife and tossed it aside.

A true test of her magnitude was the determination that flourished in a moment of pure terror. Had it not been for unimaginable amount adrenaline in her blood, her next actions would have been impossible. She uttered only a grunt and, despite her broken legs, was able to drop her body weight to the ground. Flawlessly she placed her injured limbs on either side of Edward and using a scissor-sweep, she preformed a take-down. Riza placed him firmly leg lock with her thighs, the only part of her legs that weren't injured and swolen. She held his left leg tightly within hers. "I'll snap it," she snapped as she reached down, grabbing his foot. With a simple twist he was brought to the gorund with a cry of pain.

Aria came up from behind her and reached her arms beneath Riza's, trying to lock her in a Nelson. "Let go! You're going to destroy your legs!"

Riza was having no part of that and released her grip on Ed's Automail leg. Using every ounce of strength she had, she launched herself backward, taking Aria with her. At the end of the maneuver, Aria had been crushed in between the distraught Riza and the twig laden ground. She left Aria out of commission, choking and gasping for air on the ground.

She rolled three times to the side and ended on her back. A determined hand reached out for the weapon. The final roll only brought her to the verge of reaching it. The blurry nine inch blade came into view, only to be slightly out of her grasp. It had landed with the blade away from her. She strained and overextended her arm. It was so close, enough to nudge the hilt. Her head arched and lurched her body enough to grab it tightly. She clamped her hand around the knife and she plunged it into the ground. Riza then pulled her body further away from her attackers. With one last heave, she was sitting up against another tree, re-armed and ready to go again. All this was done in a matter of seconds, she was truly a force of nature to be reckoned with, like lightning. "That it," she panted with a half smirk.

"Would you two wait!" Roy bellowed.

Ed was recovering from the hold while counting his blessings. Had she have gotten a hold of his right leg, he would have never walked the same again. She did however nearly pop his prosthetic off. The safety mechanism buckled under the force. She very well could have snapped his femur, had he a full one. "I'll have to thank Winry when I get back. Once again, she's too clever." He told her what happened at the river, when he had fallen in back in Resembool. Winry said that if he had gotten his leg caught in between some rocks, it could have torn the mount off and he'd have bled to death. With that said, she developed a safety release that would automatically detach if enough pressure was put on it.

"Check on her!" Roy ordered, pointing to Aria. She hadn't recovered as smoothly as he and Ed.

Ed walked with a limp. They had tested the lock for sturdiness before, so nothing would go wrong. They twisted it with twenty pounds of pressure, and it hurt then. When she twisted, it felt like someone took a blow torch to his automail anchor. As he approached Aria, he regained more control and was able to move the leg fine again. He looked around for Aria, she was nowhere to be seen. "Aria!" he yelled.

"In here," she said in a meek voice.

He looked to his side. There were many trees that were hollow, and like Riza, Aria had found her way into one. "What are you doing?" he asked and peered inside the little room. The hole was small and the tree large. She was right at the back, with leg room.

"I'll come out when you convince her she's not going to die!" she said, gasping for breath. She couldn't steady her breathing.

"Fair enough," he said and turned around to Riza again. She was still up against the trunk of a tree, knife aimed and ready to severely sever anyone who dared venture close enough. "So what do you plan on doing about her?" Ed asked Mustang. "I guess this is why. You picked her to be your assistant."

"I'm not going to be your assistant you bastard!" Riza spat her words.

"Look at what you're wearing!" Roy yelled, "You're in military issue clothing. You've had a head injury. Please Riza, calm down and listen to us. I can show you the indentation on the car you hit if you want." His words were stern and serious, but he couldn't hide the worry in his eyes.

Riza paused for a moment. The look on his face was sincere, "Who am I?"

"Riza Hawkeye," he said quickly, "Now you answer a question for me. How long is your hair?"

His question caught her off guard; at least until she reached behind her head and felt a bun. "I..."

"What are you talking about? What does that matter?" Ed was baffled until he saw Riza begin to cry.

Roy watched Riza remove her hair tie, allowing her hair to flow past her shoulders. He watched her drop her weapon and then a cry of pain. After making a stretcher out of the surrounding materials, they loaded Riza onto it. The next thing on the list, coaxing Aria out of her hiding place. "She's calmed down," Ed assured her.

"I'll be fine, it's nice in here. All it needs is some curtains..." she said with uncertainty.

"What if it's an animal den?" Roy suggested. Following that inquiry she was out, covered in twigs and dirt; still slightly out of breath and shaking.

On the way home, Riza had come down from her manic episode and was feeling every inch of pain. It was the worst imaginable, as promised. She held her own and stayed awake, concentrating on her breathing. Roy counted with her as she drew breath. The only medicine Aria had brought with her smashed upon impact when Riza threw her. So she was forced to go 'au naturel' for the trip home.

The other three were waiting at the camp, unscathed by the harsh jungle, or Riza. They laid her down and quickly got Winry to grab the first aid kit. On the battlefield the worst thing you could do was go unconscious in the heat of the moment. Not that anyone would be napping, but a head injury could rob you of all your good and bring you down. That's why adrenaline was on hand at all times. It was a last resort though. In such short supply, they needed to save it for when Riza was losing consciousness.

The only thing Winry could do was apply a topical anesthetic and keep her fever down by dousing her in cold water every few minutes. Since dragging herself through the jungle, she needed to have her fractures cleaned and re-bandaged. And all the kicking she did really took it's tole.

"Am I going to die?" was all she could mutter each time anyone changed her forehead towel.

"No," said the person changing it at the time.

"There's still so much I have to do," she was hyperventilating.

"Calm down," Roy said in a soft voice, "You're going to do this. We have all we need to get you better."

"What about my father? Is he alright?" she coughed and gasped on her words. They were so quiet, almost like a whisper, so her control over how she sounded was shaky.

"He's in no danger. You worry about yourself."

"Am I going to walk again?" she asked.

"Yes," he said.

"There's too much I have to do," she said, this time accompanied with tears. They fell quickly, clearing her cheek in less than a second.

"And you'll do it," Roy said with a smile, "What do you want to do?"

She winced in pain. The conversation only kept her mind off the pain for so long. Each time Winry peeled a piece of the fabric back, she arched her back in pain. The bone had come through the skin more, and pieces Winry had missed the first time were now more visible and easy to remove. Ling took the soiled bandages to wash and then boil them. His stove had turned out quite nicely. He fashioned it with handmade clay bricks; he had Mustang's fire to blast them dry.

Ed and Al were left to talk to Aria. Her reaction was rather concerning. "Brother explained what happened," Al sat next to her, giving her a shoulder to lean on.

She watched them take a seat on either side of her. "I don't know," she pulled her knees closer to her chest, "This kind of thing happened before too." She doodled her finger in the sand of the humid beach. "Back before I met you guys, I was kind of a hermit. It got to the point that people weren't sure if I was from the village anymore. They just never saw me around. It happened shortly after my parents were lost at sea. I had no control over anything and no matter how hard I wanted to, I couldn't. It would be stupid things that would get to me too. Someone bumping into me as they passed in the street, a horse that wasn't tied up properly and even groups of people. Especially groups of people after that whole 'red water' incident. Everything started to scare me. So I stayed inside and only came out when I had to. I even grew my own food so I didn't have to go out as much." She straightened her legs, leaving trails in the sand. "After I went to school and got a cash flow, things got better. But now that I'm out here, those feelings I had back then are pouring in. My chest feels tight and my heart keeps skipping a beat. It feels like I'm losing my breath. When Riza fought back, that feeling when I lost my breath, that's what it felt like. Panic. And now I feel like I'm back where I started."

If there was anyone in the world who could tell her about hopelessness, it was the Elrics. They never lost hope, but it felt like it at times, and that was good enough. "I've been fighting and training for years, and I've never been that scared before." He saw both of them raise an eyebrow.

"Really?" Al said in disbelief, "Do you remember teacher at all, brother?"

He laughed, "I'm sure teacher could take Riza in a fight, but fighting Riza was far more terrifying." Ed was going into explanation mode; if only they had popcorn. "You see, teacher was training us, so she was using restraint. We both knew the worst she would do was throw us around. Riza was ready to kill," he quickly flashed to the point when she took him down. "I also didn't know the level of training Riza had. If I'd have known she knew how to grapple, I'd have kept my distance," he said as he laid a hand on his left leg. He reminded himself to mention the locking mechanism was in good working order. "Finally, she was injured. Any amount of force could cause her permanent brain damage. I was really swinging wide with whatever I did."

"See," Aria said, "I don't have that kind of control."

Al nudged her shoulder with his own, "That's what practice is for. I've heard teacher say 'use it or lose it', that's what she meant. If you don't use your reasoning skill frequently, you can fall out of the habit. Same with your muscles. The atrophy I had was tough to deal with, but I kept working on it and I can do two backflips in a row now." He said with pride.

Ed nodded in succession, "You secluded yourself for a long period of time, you've lost the ability to cope. You need to re-learn it. If I'd have clammed up at the beginning of the fight, Riza could very well have injured herself or killed me. If you didn't jump in when you did, things may not have turned out the same. You have it, it's all a matter of training yourself to realize and deal with it."

She smiled a bit, "I guess. I _did_ jump in and help, that's a start...I'll work on it. But when I think about it, my heart starts to race."

"If I may," Ling said as he approached the group of them, "There's a technique my mother would use whenever the men would go off to fight." Ling counted breaths with her, steady in for three seconds, hold for three and then exhale for three. "Whenever she did it, she would calm down and return to normal. Panic is a normal response to stress, but the stress actually isn't that dangerous, you can control your body's response. When you train your body to calm down, your mind will follow."

Ed scoffed.

"Try it next time you start to panic Ed, you'll see," he pouted, disappointed that Ed didn't believe him.

"I don't panic. If I don't keep a cool head, things fall apart. Teacher tempered us well," he said, rejecting Ling's idea.

Riza let out a scream which startled everyone. Winry had pulled one of the last shards of bone from her skin. She panted as Roy did his best to steady her head. Her eyes drooped and her head slumped to the side. "Riza? Riza!" Mustang shook her without hurting her. She babbled a couple syllables but began fading fast.

At this point, everyone hurried back to see if there was anything they could do, "Ed, pass me that syringe." She held out her hand in the direction of the needle.

"Here," he said as he popped the top off and placed it in her hand.

Without warning Winry plunged the lance into her mid-left chest, penetrating her heart. As the needle emptied, Riza's eyes shot open. "Do we still have you?" she asked.

Riza looked around wildly to see happy, worried faces looking at her. "I think," she breathed deep.

"Right in the heart?" Ed asked.

"Yeah, that's where she needed it," Everyone heard a thud. "Huh?" she looked over to see Ed on the ground, "Edward!" she shook him, "...he fainted."

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I need to hurry! DX  
School is starting soon. Oh! I didn't mention it, but I got into college! XXXDDD

I'm taking a human services course. I've loved medicine my whole life, and I'm finally getting to go into it! I've been out of school for seven years, it's high time I go back.


	25. Chapter 25  Trust

This one was a little long, so I think it was worth the wait. I'm assuming that no news is good news with the reviews. Here's hoping. :D

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_**Chapter 25 - Trust**_

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Third day of being stranded. Judging from the sun, it was it was mid morning. The hottest part of the day was yet to come. Ed and Ling sat in the small hut with Riza sleeping close at their side. The others had gone out to prepare breakfast. The two of them were allowed to rest until she got up. Everyone had decided to take things in shifts to break the monotony. All of them were skilled with cooking in one way or another, so that was no problem. But breakfast was always the hardest to get. Everything was still cold and wet, covered with morning dew.

Being in the same vicinity as a swamp, their sleeping arrangements needed to be sound. They made their structure in an oblong shape, to match the scenery. It blended with bushes. It even had a tree for roof support off to one side. From afar, it didn't look like anything more than a lush patch in the scenery. The floor was transmuted to insure no burrowing insects made their way in, and if it rained no one would float away. This was where Aria's ability of condensing materials came in handy. She made the floor sandstone with raised edges to keep the water out.

Pitfalls were dug in two strategically chosen locations. Many of them were hopeful some unsuspecting critter would happen by and fall into said trap. Two nights ago, they witnessed a kill. They didn't see it, but it was heard. Thinking '_that doesn't seem like such a bad idea_' decidedly meant they needed meat in their diets. Ed went so far as to announce he'd take something out with his own hands. "I'd use my bare teeth at this point."

"I'll eat a crocodile if I have to. I bet I could nab one," Ling pondered, "If only I had some throwing knives and a large chunk of meat to lure one in."

Ed raised an eyebrow, "Uh-I hope you see the problem with your plan," he said.

They heard a soft chuckling from the opposite side of the structure. Riza had been awoken by mention of the word 'crocodile'. She, with the help of the two boys, sat up gently. Inching back to the wall she got herself in a sitting position. "I'm getting kind of hungry," she said quietly. Obviously she was feeling a lot better from a few days ago. Riza's explanation for her behavior was that the fever caused her to hallucinate. She kept having flashes of one of them attacking her, and because of the fever she couldn't tell what was reality or otherwise.

Ling listened outside and sighed, "I can hear them talking about finding meat. We may have to resort to using insects in our meals." The other two no longer looked very hungry. "Oh, so beggars can be choosers then?" Fruit only filled one so far, and being the omnivores they were, they craved meat.

Ed hung his head, "It's better then eating a leather boot." Ed and Ling Laughed.

Riza did not laugh, but she nodded in agreement, "That would be pretty terrible."

Ed nodded, "-and tough as hell...speaking of which," he began, "I have to ask. Where did you learn to grapple like that?" Ed had literally been swept off his feet by her display of technique. He wanted to know more about it.

She shook her head, "I have no idea. I barely remember the whole thing. My body naturally knew what to do-" she said then jumped at the sound of logs being dropped into a pile outside. Roy was in charge of the firewood for the day and was most likely stockpiling for breakfast.

Edward saw the concern in her eyes. Yesterday was the day she was comfortable enough to ask about herself. Roy declined telling her anything. "He must have his reasons." He could tell she was thinking about it.

Riza nervously played with the edge of the blanket on her lap, "I must have done something terrible...I'm not a criminal, am I?" she asked.

"What?" Ed smiled, "No way."

"Edward," Ling interjected, "I'm sure he wouldn't appreciate you going against his words. He is your superior officer, isn't he?"

"Not out here. Out here, he's Roy," Ed said smugly.

"And when we get back?"

"I'll worry about it then," he said in return.

Riza spoke up again, "Maybe I'll try asking him again. Nothing's coming to mind on my own."

Ed stood up, "No, let me talk to him about it. I'll be back." He exited out of the hut and went off to find the Flame Alchemist. Edward was all to familiar at Roy's nasty habit of withholding information. It served a purpose in the past, but this seemed almost cruel. He pulled Roy aside, "She's asking again," he said with a sad tone. "Can't you at least tell her her rank?"

Roy looked concerned, "No."

"Why not? She has a right to know who she is," Ed was beginning to get louder.

"Would you keep your voice down?" Roy snapped, "Listen...she will remember when the time comes."

Ed shrugged, "Whenever that is. She thinks she's sixteen, lost in a jungle with a bunch of strangers claiming to know her. She's terrified."

Roy ran a stressed hand through the side of his hair, "I know you're concerned Edward, but you have to consider what's going on with her right now. You've been talking to her, surely you've noticed it." He took in Ed's confused expression, "I guess you don't know her well enough. Funny, I thought you would have at least-"

"What are you talking about?" Ed was getting frustrated with this man's love to hear his own voice.

"Her eyes," he said abruptly.

Giving it a few seconds to process, he did notice, "She looks scared."

"Riza never loses face. She's killed countless men and yet doesn't have the eyes of a murderer. You saw her out there...it was such a disgrace," he sounded regretful. "Besides, to tell her she's such an accomplished soldier and chance her not be able to live up to that standard anymore, seems much more cruel to me." He had the beginning of a smile on his face, "She deserves a break from the memories of Ishval. What if the things I tell her trigger memories from that time? She could go into full blown PTSD."

He thought about it that way, "...that makes sense, but why not her family? You're keeping too much from her."

"Why do you say that? Because your memories compel you to go forward? Don't be so ignorant. Not everyone is the same as you and your brother. Sometimes memories can drag you down. How would knowing that the only person she trusted was dead?" His tone suggested he wanted the matter to be left alone.

"But she's got trust issues with you. Can't you remind her of friends and family? Why is this so hard?"

"Would you let it go?" he said with snap, "What I do know is of no help." He looked kind of helpless.

Ed realized he hit a nerve, "I'm sorry," he said and directed his attention away.

"..." Roy ran his fingers through his hair and pulled it away from his face. "...it's..." he hesitated.

Edward held up a hand, "Don't worry about it, you don't have to explain anything," he said as he began to walk away. "You've given me plenty of good reasons when you didn't really have to...I'll leave it alone." He was leaving with a loss, but for once it didn't feel like one.

Roy nodded, "Thank you. I'll tell you this though," he said and watched Ed pause to look over his shoulder. "I'm being one hundred percent honest with you when I say; until she joined the military, her father was her only family and friends."

"...What if she remembers things on her own? I'm not going to deny those memories."

He shook his head, "I'm fine with that." Roy went back to the ax they transmuted from two of the nine hunting knives, "Let's not cross all our bridges at once, Fullmetal."

Edward huffed to himself. Of all the things to call him now 'alchemist' wasn't one of them. He now viewed himself as a 'text of alchemic knowledge'; which was all the bragging rights without the glitter. He scanned the camp site for activities. It seemed he was the only one not doing something. Even Ling had helped Riza outside and was monitoring the cooking. "What the hell are you doing?" Ed looked in behind the large smoke stack to where the young prince was. The large stack diffused the smoke and made it look more like fog.

"I need to add more lumber, we have to make soap and this is going to be our only chance." Ling pointed to the east, "The winds are low and we're being shielded by two mountains. If we're the only ones in this valley, no one should see our smoke." The diffuser worked well, but if they wanted enough ash, they needed to burn quite a bit of wood.

"You've proven useful on this trip. Usually you pass out right wh-" he looked down to Ling, who was now on his back. "Get your ass up!"

"Too much smoke, so dizzy," he said as Ed pulled him into the clear air. Standing behind the wood stove not only got hot, but it sucked all the good air right from your lungs.

Being too annoyed to continue with him for now, Ed was off to find something else to do. Which was when it occurred to him; he hadn't seen Al yet. Aria and Winry were hard at work in the small outdoor kitchen, he would try asking them. The ground had two long benches for sitting or cutting. Some large flat stones were collected to cut vegetables on. "Morning," he greeted them with a wave, "Did Either of you see Al?" He walked past Winry and hugged her as he did so. A hand around her shoulder, pulling her in snug.

Aria pointed with a small paring knife in a direction, "I believe I saw him go that way. He said he thought he found some Acai berries. Which is great, we can't get them in Amestris."

"I'll go find him." Ed shuffled off into the woods to look for his brother.

"...I'm glad to see them in good spirits." Aria said as she cut chunks off a corn husk.

"Who, Ed and Al? Yeah. I was worried for a while that one of them was going to snap. Being out in the wild like this is really stressful. I haven't been getting good sleep these last few nights myself."

Aria rubbed her neck, "Me either. I'm really close to transmuting my bag into a pillow." They laughed.

"How about you?" she asked in a quieter tone than before.

Aria was confused at the question at first, but then it occurred to her what she meant. "I'm still holding in there. My heart keeps fluttering though. Here," she held out her hand to gather Winry's. She placed her fingers on her neck to feel a pulse.

Winry nodded, "It feels normal...wait a second," she said, eyes wide, "Do that again."

She shook her head, "I've got no...control over it." What she was referring to was a heart palpitation. Her heart would beat normally for a time, then it would pause for a beat and then begin again as normal. "I remember this feeling from back home, after I got the news about my folks. I'd became so nervous with everything. Even leaving my house would do this to me," she removed Winry's have from her neck and they went back to work.

"Did this start because of what happened with Riza?" she asked quietly, as to ensure Riza didn't overhear. The last thing she needed was to know about was what she did to Aria.

"No. This started when Ed was abducted...then the thing on the bridge...the thing with Riza only made it worse," her breathing was becoming more sporadic. "Even thinking about it makes my heart race."

"I guess it's hard to not think about it right now," Winry looked down to the half empty pot in her hands. So far all they had was corn and a couple of yams. Black pepper was going to be added when the ingredients came to a boil. She held the pot for Aria to put in more harvested corn. "I wish I had some advice for you. Whenever I'm stressed, I work."

"...That's a good idea," she said sounding more up-beat, "I was hoping to learn about Aerugo while I was here. Why should I stop now?" She still had her bag with her alchemy book inside, coupled with a guide to edible foods found in the jungle. "Maybe we can go looking for mushrooms later."

"Alright," Winry said with a smile and laid the pot with all the ingredients on the stove to begin to boil. "Why don't we go now," she saw the spark of fear in Aria's eyes, "Or later."

"No, no. I'll go now...mushrooms can give us the nutrition that meat can't, or rather _isn't_. So we have to go..." Aria had spent the last few days around the camp ground. She did not want to venture too far, for fear of being eaten, or poisoned, or attacked, or lost, or scared, or anything bad that came to mind at the time.

"Are you sure..." she didn't want to push Aria too far, "I could ask Ed or Al to come with us."

Aria shook her head, "Ed went looking for Al."

"Right. Well, let's go find them." And they were off. It was made clear that they needed to have a weapon on hand at all times; Winry brought along her spanner and Aria a machete. They weren't chancing anything.

The section of the forest they were in was particularly lush, so that was a small blessing. They had hacked their way through some brush looking for 'edibles' and left a noticeable path in their wake. It was wide enough to walk down and not have to worry about surrounding bushes harboring unsightly insects. From the looks of the terrain, there was once a farm where they were, so there were still some garden variety plants floating around, making their way in the wild.

A short distance in, they saw the two brothers. Alphonse could be seen balancing himself in between two palm trees. He lowered a bag with something in it to Edward. "Last one," he said as the girls got closer.

"What's all this?" Aria asked from behind Winry.

Al looked over to her and smiled, "Hey, you've come out pretty far."

She nodded nervously, "Don't remind me." Her hands were rubbing one another furiously.

"Here," he said and handed her a small bundle of fruit still on it's branch. "These are acai palm fruit, right?"

Aria took the bundle in hand and examined it, "Yup. I've always wanted to try these," she said and plucked one off to eat. "Watch out for the seeds," she said as she removed the husk of the berry between her teeth, which was less than half the mass of the whole berry. "See," she took the seed out and showed them.

"Huh, kind of glad I didn't pile a bunch of them in my mouth. Why did we need these? Haven't you had enough fruit?" Ed asked as Al jumped down from the tree.

"Roy wanted them," he said and jumped down.

Ed looked around for prying eyes. "Speaking of Roy...how do you guys feel about how he's treating Riza?" he asked quietly. Edward wasn't trying to start any trouble. He merely wanted reassurance that he wasn't the only one who felt uneasy about it all.

"I understand why he's doing it, but I wish he'd tell her something about her home," Alphonse looked worried.

"What if she remembers Ishval first?" was Winry's go to.

"She was in Ishval?" Aria said with an astonished tone. She received solom nods. "What was her...uh-"

Ed interjected, "A sniper. Worthy of the name 'Hawkeye'." He glazed over her role. She had long since atoned for her sins in the past so there was no cloud over her name in his mind. "So what can we do for her?"

They stood in silent thought. Nothing came to mind. "The woman's a tank. She's got such a history but she manages to function normally. Even after losing her memory she's still so strong," Aria couldn't get her head around this 'Riza'. She hadn't known Riza previously, so it was hard for her to get how different she really was.

Edward folded his arms, "I don't know how long she's going to keep doing this-"

"Mutiny!" Roy declared and pointed at the group of them standing in a ring. The group remained silent. "What are you plotting?" he said, eying them suspiciously.

Ed was the first to speak up, of course, "Ling," he began.

Ling appeared from behind Roy, "I was only worried for your sake, Edward."

"Shut it you brown-noser." Roy stifled him.

Ling sunk back down, "You Amestrian's are so harsh."

"Cool it, we're brainstorming," Ed sounded annoyed, "As I was saying: This won't last, we need to come up with a way for Riza to start trusting you."

"Is that so?" he said and turned to leave. "Aria, I need your help. The rest of you are welcome to join. Cut out this drama."

"There's no drama!" Ed declared.

Roy brought them to the beach where Ling had been keeping Riza company. "Aria, can you transmute me a couple mirrors?" He pointed to two exact locations, beside and behind, on either side of Riza. "You don't trust me?"

She looked ashamed, "I guess I'm the odd one out, seeing as how all of you have no problem with him." Fortunately Ed was behind her, so she didn't see him roll his eyes.

"Your father trained me in flame alchemy," he said and looked back at the group, a safe distance away. The two mirrors as requested stood on their own on stone bases.

She scoffed, "I'm sure, let's see it then." Riza didn't see the point of the mirrors.

He had a transmutation circle scratched into a block of flint. He activated the circle and struck it with a hunk of iron. The resulting reaction produced a flame that traveled ten feet. It sent a warm gush of air towards them. This was Aria's first glimpse of the Flame Alchemist in action.

Riza looked off to the side, "That only proves you took my shirt off," she said with a hint of blush.

Roy tripped on his words, "I-I...How can I read it? It's been destroyed."

Aria brightened up, her mirrors had purpose. She maneuvered the one closest to her to face Riza's back. Ling alined the other so Riza could see her own back without turning around. With a gentle hand, she tugged Riza's tank top down in the back.

Riza was shocked to see the scars. The largest was near her left shoulder, eliminating the bulk of the array tattooed on her skin. "What...what ha..." she couldn't believe she had endured such a large wound with no recolection.

"This alchemy caused a lot of suffering. You asked me to deface your markings," he chuckled, "screamed at me to do so in fact. You're a strong woman, you shouldn't be so scared. You trusted me before, I'm only asking you to do it again."

"...my...father...he's passed by now. How long?" she said in a monotone voice.

Roy looked to the ground, "...nine years."

"...That means...it's too late for tears," and she said nothing else for the rest of the day.

The others mourned their burnt bridge.


	26. Chapter 26 Makeshift Rescue Team

I know it's been a while, but I've been busy with school. I love college! I'm doing exactly what I want to do right now so I'm focusing more on that. I have a stack of paper's I've written for my portfolio. My professor say's I'm an 'excelent reflective writer', I felt so good that day.

Anyway, that's why I haven't been updating but I think this one makes up for it. I made it longer to expand the situation a little more. We're nearing the end of the arc. One more story arc then I'll bring them home. One more after that and I'll wrap it all up.

I'm not going to be writing fanfiction for much longer, these are my golden years. :)

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_**Chapter 26 - Makeshift Rescue Team**_

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"Snake!" Winry bellowed and hurled a spanner with all her might. The rest of the group ducked while Ed hit the ground, stirring up dust. The spanner flew flawlessly through the air and nailed the poor creature. It dropped straight down the trunk of the tree it was attempting to climb.

"...you got him," Ed said looking up halfway from the sand. "You got him!" Immediately he sprung up and went to the animal carcase.

"Did I kill it?" Winry said, poking her fingers together. She looked ashamed for placing that much force behind a tool not meant to kill things.

"Be careful," Aria said with worry, "Make sure it's dead." If it were a poisonous species it may attack, if it was only knocked down.

"Oh, it's dead," he said Ed as he examined the squished snake neck. He was no stranger to eating things like this, so he could identify it before it even hit the ground. "It's a python...was a python," he said as he picked up the animal. "And it's also meat!" The girls looked horrified. "What," he asked with a smirk, "You grill this and it'll be great."

Winry looked a little down, "I didn't mean to kill it, it just scared me." Scared, from twenty feet away.

He smiled, "Don't worry, he won't-" Ed saw the underside of the snake, "Uh-_she_ won't got to waste." Lifting up the creature completely it was almost the same height as he was. "Supper?" he suggested.

"Do I have to clean it?" she asked.

Edward held out the snake to her, "Clean what you kill." he received a horrified, somewhat nauseated look. "Heh," he laughed, "I'm kidding."

Winry sighed with relief. Their third day was drawing to a close and supper was going to be put on the table; but since no one had a table, a lap sufficed. Riza had requested to stay in the shelter for the remainder of the day. They made two openings so it wouldn't get too hot. There she stayed, refusing to eat. Maybe the idea of a 'snake kebab' might change her mind.

"Do you think she trusts any of us now?" Alphonse asked while looking at the shelter.

Aria tossed some wood into the oven and sparked up some kindling, "Probably. Maybe she's not eating because she's sad."

"We can hope that's all," Edward said. "One of us should ask if she wants food, she doesn't seem as suspicious of us."

"I wonder why?" Winry asked.

"She thinks she's our age. Maybe she feels that puts her more on par with us," Al suggested.

"But she knows she's older," Edward said.

"But if she doesn't _feel_ older, she won't know how to act like an adult," Ling suggested

"Who was she as an adult?" Aria questioned, "I only met her as an adult for a few seconds on the bridge, so I don't see much wrong with her."

Ed shook his head quickly, "No way, she's a totally different person," he assured her, "She's usually very 'cut and dry'."

"Very professional and serious," Al backed him up.

"That different, huh?" Aria said with shock, "You'd never think it, to look at her now. I wonder how Roy's doing. They were long time friends, right?"

Edward looked to where he thought Roy may be, "I hadn't thought about that...speaking of which," he said and checked over his shoulder, "He's been spending a lot of time alone."

Aria placed the grill over the fire again to begin cooking the snake. "He's practically lost a friend, he must be pretty broken up."

"Also, there's been no word from the military base," Alphonse added.

Each of them had little hope that there would be a 'second search party' looking for the 'first search party'. The only thing left to do was wait until Riza was well enough to travel. Weapons were fashioned from stone, metal from the truck and wood from surrounding trees. The tools made to make life easier in the dense jungle.

Their truck was broken down which they felt was a good thing, it stuck out the most. All that remain were a few unusable parts: a pile of tubes and wires, and the gas tank, which was still full. The upholstery was used for the shelter's bedding. Nothing was wasted. As much as the brother's had Izumi's teachings drilled into their heads, now wasn't the time to cut corners and do everything from scratch.

Back at camp, other things were being wasted. "Such a waste of time!" May exclaimed as she stomped away from her tent. She had sent a letter to her squadron leader, requesting permission to leave the camp to look for Alphonse, Ling and the others. She received word that her request was denied, "And it took them a whole day to tell us this!" she sulked to Farai.

She sighed, "You too, huh?" Farai flipped her letter over her shoulder and into some grass. She too had requested to go out looking. Being familiar with the land, she could assist May in locating their lost comrades while avoiding the things that could do them harm along the way.

"I can even sense where they're at, but they still won't let me go." May folded her arms in frustration.

"Sense? How so?" she raised an eyebrow.

May pointed her fingers at her forehead, " I feel their chi throughout the ground when I concentrate using this technique." She held her fingers in place, "If you concentrate here, you can feel the energy all around you."

Farai gave her a bemused look, "...I'll say I believe it. I do believe it. If you make good on your claim, I can get us some wheels." She lowered her voice, "D'ey keep a tank of gasoline in the tent next to me. I'll fuel up a rig and we'll be out here at midnight."

"Give me some time to triangulate their position. I can get it within fifty feet." It was sunset, so they had to move quickly. Farai was sure to keep her voice very low. Her brother was weary of her wandering ways, so he had a keen ear on her at all times.

"Can you drive?" May got closer to her and spoke in a similar tone.

"Shit, no," she covered her mouth with her right hand and closed her eyes in a moment of reflection. She uncovered her mouth and snapped a finger, "I got a plan. Be at the car wit dis license plate numbah," she said and scribbled down a number for her on a scrap.

"Right," she said and they parted ways.

Farai wanted to get the group of them back just as badly as May. She had her sights set on the older brother. After they arrived back in camp, he was too busy with detox to have a moment of meaningful dialogue with. Since arriving at camp she received much attention and sympathy. Farai's detox took longer, for she had been lost for so long. The Amestrin doctors did not judge her, they only helped her. It was time for her to return the favor and reap the benefits.

She dared not tell May of her intentions. Farai feared the girl from Xing might back out on the grounds that Farai was only after her own ends. While that may have been part of her reason, she did want to make sure everyone was back safely.

Meanwhile, May was on a mission. She bolted from three widespread locations within the camp to accurately pinpoint their position. After marking their map, she discreetly slipped it under the back flap of Farai's tent.

Nathan's young sister was a favourite among the gentlemen on the camp; hence why he kept a close eye on her. She had problems with substance abuse in the past and Nathan wanted to make sure she wasn't 'using' with anyone. The time she ran off with Raul was because he promised her as much as she could handle with all the clean needles she could ask for.

He walked into his younger sister's tent to find her wrapping her cornrow braids in a sarong and twisting it into a large bun. "I take it you aren't coming to our session this evening," he said with regret. He smiled, happy to see her so healthy and beautiful. The blood tests they ran on her revealed no infection. Nathan counted his blessings, at least Raul didn't lie about the clean syringes.

"Nathanda? I got things to do," she brushed him off and attached an earring to her left lobe. She knew he worried for her, but unfortunately she didn't receive criticism well.

"Shouldn't be playin' men like this. You're getting your hopes up for nutin'. You can't bring any of them home." He had seen her flirting with the soldiers and letting them get drinks for her. Nathan didn't like it; that was how she got started in the beginning.

"Why, cause mamma don't want me bringin' home no Ammi?" the slang word for an Amestrin in her own language. She snapped at him partially because she didn't realize he meant the other soldiers, not Edward. She got up to leave.

Nathan got up in arms, "What you on about? I'm saying that none of them are going to follow a little girl around the world to live with her rich father." He grabbed her wrist, stopping her from leaving.

"You don't even know what I'm doing tonight and you're already trying to tell me what to do. It's my life, now hush." She tried to pull free.

Nathan got cross, "You'll be allowed to live the life you've been given when you learn to treat it right!"

"How dare you!" she barked and took a swipe at him, only to miss.

He lined up a backhand but he hesitated when he saw her flinch, "...you're lucky mamma raised me right," he said and lowered his arm. Raul must have been violent with her, she never used to flinch. She knew he would never hit her, he never did, 'back hand' lined up or not it was only a bluff.

"Here's prayin' for you. You know...I haven't touched a thing since I got to camp? Only the wine brother," she said and took control of her own hand again.

He threw his arms in the air in defeat, "Alright, then what are you doing?"

"I'm going to see Jean tonight." Her soldier of choice.

He rolled his eyes, "I'll bet you are," he said in a way that sounded like he regretted the question.

"Right now in fact," Farai said and left before Nathan could get in any more of his 'cents' (two was more than enough). If he caught wind that she was trying to leave the premisses he would have the camp on lock down. She was staying true to herself and staying away from substances, even pain killers. Normally she would be running off to get a hit of something, but this time was different. She wasn't chasing a dragon, she had her sights on the man who showed her the light.

He had inspired her to give up the needle in lieu of better things. This happened while he was a hostage. She would sober up enough to see Edward, this healthy young man, suffer with dope sickness and hallucinations that it made her not want to touch any of it anymore. Slowly she weaned herself off and finished the job when she hit camp.

Edward would talk, rather babble on about how terrible he felt while he was high. He was even able to describe the sensations he felt rather vividly when he came down completely. He said he had no clue why she liked it and demanded she get rid of it. Farai attempted to convince him she was going to try and win his heart, but he was too out of sorts at the time to give her a clear answer. She wanted to repay Edward for his kindness and enlightening advice with the opportunity she had been given: to save him.

She slinked her way to the 'bar tent' and looked out for Jean. He was the tallest one if Major Armstrong wasn't there, plus he smoked so he was easy to spot. Not even halfway through the door when she saw him near the back of the room. He looked rather somber, sitting next to his team members, minus Roy and Riza.

"Hey Jean," she said in a concerned tone. She convinced him to take a walk with her to the bar, away from his co-workers. "You seem out of it. What's weighing on you?"

He sounded rather tired when he spoke, "Oh, we've been trying to get clearance to go out looking for the Brigadier General." Havoc wasn't interested in her romantically, but she was really pretty and having a pretty girl on your arm was always a bonus.

"No luck, huh? ...maybe we can go for a walk," she said suggestively, "Get your mind off things."

Jean was a fan of this girl, she was tall, physically fit and busty, and how he loved the busty women. The only problem was that she was half his age. Worried that the others may have had something to say about it he didn't pursue anything. '_It's been months since I've seen any tail. Now she's offering, how could I say no? What if she's lonely too? Stressed, bored or trickery, I don't care at this point!_' He got up, "alright,' he said, "we'll go for a walk." They began to head for the exit.

"Where are you heading off too so late?" Falman said with a raised eyebrow, peeking out from behind his beer mug.

"A walk," he said and began walking with the younger girl.

"I'll be you are," Breda scoffed.

Jean battled the big question back and forth in his head already, it was no longer up for debate. If this girl suggested anything, he doubted he was going to refuse her. Going to his truck was something she suggested that he blindly agreed to. Before he knew it, she was perched on top of him in the back while kissing. This went on for a few minutes and then she began to remove her clothing. Her shawl covered a more revealing top that was a sarong tied around the back like a bra and looped around the back of her neck.

"I'm not so sure about this," he said quietly.

"I am," said younger voice from behind him. Farai quickly jumped back and off of the soldier she had been enchanting.

"What the hell?" he said and quickly noticed the knife at his neck.

"I need to ask a favour," May said.

Jean looked at her in the corner of his eye, "I've been trained in close arms combat before you were even born. Do you really think you can keep that knife in hand for long?"

"No," Farai said from behind the vehicle. "That's what this is for," she said, now wielding a shotgun. "You have such nice blue eyes," she said, admiring them from the cross-hairs. "Start the engine."

Jean complied and awkwardly maneuvered into the drivers side and fired up the engine. After they successfully pulled out of the camp with no suspicions, Jean spoke up again, "Care to let me in on what you're doing?" he inquired.

"We're going out looking for the others. Now drive to the bridge where the bomb was detonated," Farai commanded. She had composed herself as more of a carefree individual, but now she was cold with a frightening glare.

Jean eyed the girl from Remicia with contempt. He was desperately trying to think of a way to get that gun from her; he had to use caution and not fall victim to the girl from Xing while he did so. '_This isn't going to be easy. Dammit, why did you have such a nice rack. Why does this always happen?_' He sighed as he remembered the homunculus who had also tricked him.

"What's pa'nin ya?" Farai asked.

"Bad case of deja'vu is all," he sunk back into his seat and caught a glimpse of the gun from a different angle. It rested across her lap with her hair wrap covering it. That was how she got it past the guards at the gate.

"Up ahead," May spoke from the back, "a road block. Seven men and one dog."

"You didn't even look!" Havoc exclaimed.

"Shut up and hit the gas," Farai corrected his concentration. With a heavier foot, they went toward their destination quicker. "It's not Sunday! Go full force," she said and tapped his leg.

"I can't," he snapped, "There's a road block." He could now see the taped off area, warding off any travelers looking to use the bridge. "They're instructing us to press on upstream, for the foot bridge."

"We're ramming it. May says they're downstream," she held up a map with the mark where May predicted they'd be. "You saw what she can do, we can find them!"

"They're not in the water!" Havoc yelled.

"It's okay, these things float," she lounged backwards.

With the seven guards best efforts combined, none of them felt the urge to take on a vehicle, especially one going as fast as the one barreling towards them. They all got out of the way and the truck whisked by the tape. They hit the water, creating a large swell. The vehicle steadied as it was drawn downstream by the current.

"How about that?" Havoc said as he traied to steer. It was difficult, but the truck obeyed.

"How about that? How about this?" she said and clicked the gun open, reveling empty chambers. She burst out laughing.

Havoc sat with his jaw ajar, mentally kicking himself for seeing if the gun was loaded. The model she had actually had a pin that signaled when it was loaded, to avoid situations like this. He hung his head, kicking himself for not checking for it.

Farai snickered and nudged his shoulder, "Come on, you wanted to go to."

"Don't...talk..." he kept driving.

She paused to think of something to say to ease the fact she tricked him. "You know-" she began.

A large splash came up from the water in front of them and a 'something' landed on the hood. Havoc and Farai yelled, thinking it was a crocodile.

"Don't worry, it's only RanFan," May announced.

"Yes, be silent," she said and hopped into the vehicle. "I would have been here sooner, but the train had a delay," she said, crouching next to May.

"Don't worry, you're right on time. We have them located, now all we have to do is bring them back." May said and showed a copy of the map to her.

"I don't care what becomes of the others, so long as I can retrieve master Ling." Edward and the others didn't hold priority to her because of direct orders, it wasn't that she didn't care about them at all. If not for them, the present wouldn't be what it was currently. Ling was on the top of her list and if she managed to assist the others, so be it.

"Isn't this great?" Havoc announced, "All of us traveling like this! It's wonderful!" His tone suggested that he was angry, but his words didn't quite match.

"Are you okay?" Farai asked, skeptical of Havoc's mood.

"I'm fine! I'm having a wonderful time!" he continued to yell and grip the steering wheel tightly, enough to turn his knuckles white.

"Should he be driving?" RanFan asked from the back.

Farai shook her head, "I don't think we have to worry, we're not going fast enough to crash."

"I'm going to be written up for this!" he yelled and shook the steering wheel.

His passenger handed him a smoke from his pocket and lit it for him. "Take it easy, we're going to find them."

He inhaled his incinerated leaves and blew the offending smoke away from the girls. "I guess," he calmed down and they continued on down the river.

"When we meet up with them, we'll pick up camp and head out right away. I know of a small settlement a few hours away. And that's on foot." Farai let the others in on her plan. Since May could sense the injuries some of them had, so getting to a medical facility was a good first step.

"We should be there in no time then," May said with a relieved smile.

"We should rest, I feel we have some time before the river branches off." RanFan pulled her collar tight to her neck and sealed it with a tie. She replaced her hood and mask that she had removed while she swam.

Down the river the others were doing their best to bundle up. The mountain that was shielding them was now causing gusting winds. "Don't worry," Aria said as she boiled tea, "The stone supports won't break unless there's an earthquake."

"Don't say that, it'll happen," Al said.

"If that were the case," Ed began, "If I say 'I'm so tired I'll fall asleep tonight' doesn't mean it'll happen."

Aria poured some tea and held it out to him, "If this works, does that mean you're wrong?" she smirked.

He looked down at the tea with skepticism, "...The last time I doubted you, I ended up feeling like I was turning inside out."

Roy raised an eyebrow, "What now?" he was now interested in what was in the cup.

"I think I'll trust this one." He took the cup.

"Is there enough to go around?" Winry asked, sporting some dark circles under her eyes.

"Plenty," Aria said and peeked into the kettle. "And so you know, it's the same plant that turned you 'inside out'" she made quotes with her finger.

Ed guzzled his glass, "I don't care at this point, I need sleep," he held out his glass again. She filled it again and he chuckled, "You remind me of Nathan."

She laughed and blushed, "It's the miracle cure-all! I didn't make the plant." Tea was passed around and finally a good night's sleep was to be had.

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Opinions?


	27. Chapter 27 A New Recluse

This one almost stumped me, but I found a graceful way of leading into the next little story arc. Since I've been going to school I've really taken an interest in psychology. I mean, I was into it before but now I'm all over it! XD

Anyway, this next one is going to be fun. It was the idea I stopped off on in my original series. Doing it this way made it so much easier, so I'm glad I took to revamping my idea. It's much more condensed and we've moved along nicely. A bit of a rough patch a few chapters ago in my opinion, but I predict smooth sailing from here on out.

* * *

_**Chapter 27 - A New Recluse**_

* * *

May managed to squeeze in a few winks before the rescue. She stirred from her sleep, "They're close," the girl said as she wiped sleep from her eyes.

RanFan looked off to the right, "I feel it too."

The smallest rose and nodded, "Go down this way," she said, pointing to a small outlet, "up ahead-huh...their auras seem weak."

"Poisoning maybe. I've brought some anti-toxin to treat many afflictions in this area." RanFan double checked her bag; there were more bottles than could be counted at a glance. Normally she tended to Ling's various ailments, accidental poisoning was always a possibility because of his fainting spells.

"Poison?" May sulked, "Don't worry Alphonse, we're coming!" she swayed back and forth with anticipation.

Havoc huffed, "Would you settle down?" His driver side passenger was out like a light. "Hey," he nudged her, "We're almost there."

She said in a deep voice, "ull'doo'it later," and rolled over as best she could in the front seat of the cab.

"Come on," he said with a gruff tone and gave her a more serious nudge. Jean couldn't help but shake the frustration of being used by this girl for something like this. She would talk with him frequently and harmlessly flirt; not once did he think that 'this' was her intention. As much as he enjoyed Farai's company before, it was hard to look at her now without wanting to slap her silly. He turned the wheel and carefully glided into the outlet. It was a small grove, easily accessible when the tide was high. "I don't see them," he said as he looked over the area.

After managing to break the spell of sleep, Farai got up and stood to look over the windshield, "That's a hut..." she said as she peered through the darkness. The moon offered little light, only lighting up the area with vaguely identifiable outlines.

"Doesn't look like any hut I've seen before," Havoc said.

When they were close enough to the shore May hopped off, "Hut or not, they're in there." She quietly slipped around to the side. "Here's a door!" The truck disbanded and they made their way into the hut. To May's dismay none of them would wake up. She shook Alphonse, "Can you hear me, Alphonse?"

Farai knelt down and examined the contents of the pot in the center of the room. "There's some kind of mushroom in here. I can see it. Maybe they picked the wrong kind."

"Young master," RanFan said as she tried to jostle Ling from his sleep. "What mushroom?" she said and flipped her bag open to produce a medicine that may work. She awaited an answer from Farai.

She shrugged, "How should I know? It's been boiled away." This earned her a glare from the anxious RanFan.

Havoc tried waking all of them but got no responses. "They're breathing, that's a good sign," But still, no one moved. "Now what? We don't have nearly enough gas to fight the current all the way back...Wait, where's Riza?" he said looking around.

"You don't think she was..." May said, trying to sense an aura. "...wait, why is she out there?" she said with relief and bolted into the brush next to the entrance.

There was a few shouts and the sound of a struggle. Seconds later she came back with the woman in question."Let me go!" Riza yelled, arms bound to her torso by a wire with heavy metal balls at the end.

She tugged her into the open, "You're acting awfully strange," May was sure that Riza would remember her from the military camp.

Havoc took a look at Riza, wrapped up in the cord, "You okay?"

"Let me go," she snapped at him, shocking him.

Finally they got a response from one of the others. Edward lifted his head as soon as he heard Riza yell, "Gas tank," he said in a droned voice. His fingers didn't seem to move all the effectively but he got his message across. Edward pointed in the direction of the left over gasoline and then fell right back to sleep.

Farai followed his instruction and located the tank, "How about that; the fortunes smile on us tonight."

Havoc took the tank and gassed up the vehicle. "Bad news boss," he said in Farai's direction, "That was only a quarter. We'd need...about a tank and a half to get back." They had a little more than half a tank.

"Useless," she said, brushing him off to think about the situation. She wanted to get Ed alone as soon as she could and taking them back to camp was no way of getting that done. "We can't get back anyway, we should head down to the village. They may know how we can get more gasoline."

Jean took a cigarette from his pocket and sparked it up. The girls refused to let him smoke on the trip there, fearing the light would give her away their position. "I still think this is a bad idea. What if they're not inclined to help," he suggested.

"They will. We may have to barter. Dat's no problem though, I speak the language," Farai assured him.

"I'll bet," insinuating the she only knew the language so she could be promiscuous. He turned his attention to his co-worker, "What's up with everyone? And you," he asked as he looked at Riza sitting in the back of the truck, splints on her legs, binding them together.

"I injured my legs..." she said, trying to look away.

He looked at her with confusion, the way she was talking was as if she were scared of him, "I'm talking about the attitude...and why is everyone like this? How come the tea didn't make you a zombie?" She said nothing. "...alright then." Everyone, that could, chipped in to load the others on the back. Havoc fired up the truck and they were off. Mustang was starting to come around and made an attempt at talking, "Ease up, you're in good hands."

Farai tapped a finger on her chin, "We can get to the settlement a few miles-"

"Miles?" Havoc exclaimed, "You want to take us that far from camp?"

"Why not? As soon as you get back you're going to get in trouble for kidnapping a couple of young girls." She said and rested her hands behind her head, lacing her fingers.

He scoffed, "Kidnap-? _**I**_ was kidnapped!"

"Yeah," Farai said with a lax tone, "Dey'll believe you. You'll just tell em'dat, right?" she said and chuckled to herself.

Havoc grumbled. This girl was beginning to get on his nerves. "...blackmail."

"So negative. More like '_Incentive_'," she corrected him; May snickered along with her silently.

Havoc looked at Riza, "How about you? Ready to talk? Did you eat something that was 'off'?"

"She was talking a minute ago," May said, "Are you too scared to talk?" she asked.

"..." she said nothing again.

Farai looked in the rear-view mirror at Riza, "Maybe you've got Mani-Mani. Makes you go crazy," she narrowed her eyes, "You got a taste for rocks or dirt yet?"

Riza gave her a look of total confusion and shook her head. "Rocks...?" she questioned.

"Nah, she's fine," Farai said and glanced a bit further down back. Edward was sleeping soundly next to his brother and his mechanic. She couldn't wait until he woke up. First _he_ saved her, and now she got to return the favour. The anticipation put hot coals under her feet

The sounds of birds filled the air as the sun slowly gave way over the horizon. All the shadows took the shape of something tangible, landscape and foliage bursting with color. The smoke from the first fire of the day wafted upstream. Farai waved an arm four times and yelled a few words in a foreign tongue. They docked the truck on shore and were met with smiling faces. Havoc looked at Farai, she seemed to be the one in control. Her ability to speak the language really put her at an advantage.

"Uh-do you know these people," Havoc whispered.

Farai finished her conversation then glanced over her shoulder, "Cha' whisperin for? Half the people here haven't seen a white face, let alone know how to speak English."

"I guess," Havoc glanced around. The abundance of women was quite noticeable. "What is this place?" he inquired, feeling a better mood taking over.

"A village for expecting mothers. There are few men, enough for protection," she said earning her a snort. Farai turned to face the only one who could have made the noise, "What's so funny?"

"You talk as if the women can't do it themselves," Riza said, sounding annoyed.

Farai turned her attention away from the battered soldier, "I thought a soldier of your rank might be a little more forgiving. Considering your position," she made reference to her legs.

"I got away twice. I'll do it a third time if I have to," she glanced away.

Havoc ruffled his hair, "What's gotten into you?" He let her be. Figuring there was some reason she was behaving like this he decided to wait until the others were up. The group of them were moved into a hospital, a small house with a base and four rooms. Each of them came around one at a time. Roy was the first to make words happen, "About time," Havoc said and tossed his second cigarette of the day away.

"Hnnnmmm, shhhh," Roy tried to say something.

Havoc looked to Mustang who was holding a finger to his mouth in an attempt to 'shush' his team member. "...what..."

Roy sat up, and held his head, "What did you tell her?"

He looked from side to side, "Who, Riza?"

His heavy head hit the pillow again, "Yeah...where is she?"

Havoc hooked his thumb behind him, "She's getting a proper splint put on in the other room. What's going on?"

Roy told the story from the beginning. The suspicious letter and the military's inactivity after the blast. Then he told him about the bridge incident, Riza's injuries, "And now she thinks she's sixteen."

"Really?" he said.

He nodded, "Yes, she even thought he father was still alive."

"Let me get this straight," Havoc sat next to Mustang's bed, his hands holding the invisible object that was 'this situation' out in front of him. "Someone within the military is plotting against us," he said and saw Roy nod, "So now we have to stay here," nod, "With a sixteen year old Captain?" nod, "Who doesn't know who I am," nod, "...see ya," he said and got up.

"Hey!" he cried and tried to get up. They had discovered that Riza tossed in a few extra mushrooms into the tea when no one was looking; which is why none of them could move when they were found. Aria originally put a small amount in it to aid in sleep; the paralyzing effect of the fungus wasn't supposed to last so long or be so intense. Roy could talk, but he couldn't move much yet.

Havoc gave him a dopy smile, "Don't worry, I'll be nice to her. I won't tell her a thing," and he was off.

Laying back he said, "Such a child," with a groan.

Al sat up and chuckled, "I didn't know he had a thing for Riza," he rested the majority of his weight on his elbows, "I always had the feeling you and her..." he trailed off.

Roy shook his head, "Nothing like that. She's attractive, I think that's all he's concerned with. What a pain," he raised a hand up slowly, shakily and covered his eyes

Alphonse looked around to see a few of the others slowly beginning to move again but Edward was nowhere to be found, "Where's brother?"

Ed was laid up in a smaller hut, near the hospital. Farai requested she be with him when he woke up. She couldn't wait to see the look on his face when he discovered she was the one who saved him. Farai sat at the foot of his bed and wrung out a cool cloth for his head. There was a moment of hesitation but she decided to anyway; the girl laid down on the bed next to him and rested her cheek on her fist.

With a slight shift Ed began to stir. His eyes slowly met the early morning light and adjusted with a little encouragement. "I thought that tea wouldn't be so strong. What did you do?" he said to someone who wasn't even in the room.

"I didn't do anything with the tea, but I did manage to get you out of the bog," she said calmly.

With a strain, Edward tried to sit up. Farai helped him, "Come again?" he said in a rough voice.

"May located your 'chi'," she made quotes in the air, "And then we rode downstream to this little settlement."

"Rode...in what?" he asked, knowing full well that the river was crawling with crocodiles.

"The truck," she said, "They're semi-aquatic. Where is your truck? Did it break?"

Ed rubbed his face, "No," he said and pinched the bridge of his nose, "They can drive on water?"

"Yes. Why?" she asked.

"We could have driven to shore? Dammit...whatever. Where are the others?" He sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed. The cords in his left leg felt loose, the oil they had made while camping out wasn't as refined as a lab made product, it caused decay at the joints. An easy problem to fix now that they were on safe grounds.

"The rest are in the hospital. There were only a few beds left, so they put you here," upon her request.

"No problem. Thanks," he tried to stand up but felt something wrap around him.

Farai had hugged him from behind, "You saved me once before, I can't tell you how grateful I am. I was worried that I would never be able to tell you that. Thank you."

His face was red and his throat felt tight, "You're welcome," he said and began to stand up, breaking the embrace. "I'm no good with gratitude. I don't help people so I can be praised for it."

"I know..." she nervously played with her fingers, "I really wanted to thank you...differently."

He felt he knew what she meant, "I'm not too sure what you mean. But if it's anything like _that_, remember, I'm with someone."

"I didn't forget. But she's not here, nobody's gonna know."

Ed raised an eyebrow, "She's in the hospital, right?"

"Who? Which one?" Farai's face turned bright red.

"Winry, she's also my mechanic. I told you that."

"I remember, I just didn't put it together. She's with you here. It's been a while since I've met someone like you, I guess I got carried away."

He looked confused, "If she were far away, that would make cheating on her 'okay'?"

"...No."

"So why the approach?" he questioned her motive.

"I don't know. I'm...stressed." She folded her arms and held back her emotions. "I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it, we have other things to think about. Like, where we're at." He lifted the curtain to look outside.

"We didn't have enough fuel to go back," she took a deep breath to calm herself down, "I've been here before, I knew we would be able to stay for a while. We have to work a little though," she said, fearing her idea may have been too imposing.

He shrugged, "We were doing that already, nothing's really changed. Except now we have a chance to make it back. Thanks for the help, and don't worry about earlier, forget about it." He waved and took his leave to go and find Winry. He felt she needed to know about the issue with the oil. However he felt the issue with Farai should be left out. He was going to forget it and hoped she would do the same.

* * *

One more down. The brain is an amazing thing, and it can really mess with you when it's not going full tilt. I'm going to have fun with this one. :D

I usually have a target, the one who acts as my punching bag. This character hasn't been my pin cushion yet, so I think this is going to be interesting. It may be obvious who it's going to be, I was going to do it in the end of my other story, in the third part. That was when I abandoned it to write this instead. Hope you guys like it, I'll try to update more frequently so I can call this one 'done'. So close, very close. :)


	28. Chapter 28 Something Different

New arc! Yaaaay! :)

I'm going to try and make my chapters longer so I can condense my material a little, rather than shorter chapters with less happening. I'm slipping into old habits again, I have to make progress this chapter. DX

I find I kind of stall in certain parts, but I think this one will keep things moving smoothly.

* * *

_**Chapter 28 - Something Different**_

* * *

It was noon before the spiked tea cycled out completely. Aria and Winry were the last to regain their mobility. "There's no way I messed it up...uh," Aria said as she rubbed her hazy green eyes. A blurred object appeared in front of her, it was Ling.

"Good morning," he said calmly, "What have you messed up?" he asked, unsure as to how one could mess up their sleep.

"The tea," she said and closed her eyes again, trying to let them adjust to the light slowly.

Ling gave her a puzzled look, "Oh no, that wasn't you. Riza tried to escape again and used the rest of the mushroom you set aside." The one she mentioned to have a paralyzing agent.

"What? Why?" Aria rubbed her temples. She had thought Riza was convinced that she was indeed in the company of friends, "Why would she try to escape again?"

"Not sure. Don't worry, everyone's doing fine though," he said and held out a bowl to her that contained the morning's meal of grains and berries; a semi-sweet gruel. "Breakfast?"

The fumes coaxed her into opening her eyes and she finally got a good look of where she was. "Um. What...where did we-" Ling proceeded to let her in on where they were. He ended it with, "And Riza didn't manage to get away as planned; she's getting fitted for a proper splint."

She sighed, "Such a hassle..."

"Yet I remain a burden," Riza said as she entered the hospital room. Her legs were bound together with bandages, a metal rod held them straight. Under each arm was a crutch that gave her an awkward gait while walking on her one large leg.

"...that isn't a standard issue, is it?" Ling tilted his head.

"I want to get home; I'll do so as soon as I'm able." She hobbled on by and took a seat on her bed. Her legs still bent at the knees, so it wasn't as crippling to move around and function normally. "I don't know why you want to keep someone here who obviously doesn't want to be here. Aren't I just another mouth to feed?" Riza seemed melancholy.

Aria and Ling shared a look.

"See," she held out a hand to draw attention to their mannerisms, "That's the subversive behaviour that's making me want to leave. Why was my father's alchemy used for destruction? Why did it need to be destroyed?"

"It's flame alchemy, I doubt it was supposed to be used for something constructive," Ling said.

Riza looked away, "Even so, that doesn't explain why it needed to be defaced. He researched for years and prided himself on his work. Why would I demand it be removed? Tell me what it was used for."

"I don't know," Aria said.

"...you would say that. Why should I trust any of you? I deserve to know who I am and who I've become." She grabbed her hair tie and slowly pulled it out. "And why have I forgotten so much?" The length of her hair counted the years lost. She didn't know much of amnesia, but judging from the chunk that she lost, it was probably for a good reason.

Aria saw the sadness in her eyes, "Riza...I don't know enough about you to tell you anything..."

Riza dismissed the comment, "Let me rest." She laid on her side, facing away from them, legs straightened.

Not liking the tone, Aria became worried. "Riza, please trust us. We're in the middle of a jungle, if you run off without someone to protect you, you might be abducted."

"I'll be fine," she said quietly.

"Hey, hey," a cheerful voice sounded, "You don't need to be like that." Riza looked toward the front entrance to where a tall man was making his way with a plate of food, "I figured you may need a boost to help speed up the healing."

"Thank you. Let me guess, I know you too," she sounded drained.

He shrugged, "We've worked together for a while, but we never actually had any meaningful dialogue outside the office."

She hesitantly took a piece of fruit, "Is that so?"

Havoc turned to the other two. A simple glance and they obliged it by leaving. If she was going to trust anyone it was a step in the right direction. They shook Winry awake and headed out with her still in a phase of sleep. After a short explanation of the village, she took a look around. The village's boarders were rather far off. This place was a lot bigger than the military base. "Expecting mother's, huh?" She said as they made their way off the hospital grounds.

Aria nodded, "Yeah. Al told me about the time you helped deliver a baby. Think you'll have the guts to do it again?"

She thought about it, "Maybe? How advanced is their practice," she pondered and stretched upwards, arms behind her. A moment of lightheadedness, possibly a side effect from the tea the previous evening caught her off guard and caused a stumble. They followed Ling down the foot beaten path.

"You've delivered a child before?" he asked and saw her nod, "I think Farai would want to let the chief know that. We have to earn our keep here."

"How long are we planning on staying?" Aria asked, "Long enough for Riza's legs to heal? Or are we getting gas and heading out?" she asked, pointing in the direction she felt 'camp' was in.

Ling shrugged, "Not too sure. Roy's working on getting a radio fixed so we can contact the military." And what Roy meant by 'military' was the rest of _his_ staff. He gave them an unused channel so he could contact them as privately as possible.

"I wish we could be sure of something," Winry groaned, "I hate being bounced around like this. I'd really like to stay for a while."

"Stay?"Aria sounded shocked, "We may be protected if we stay here, but no one knows we're here. Won't Pinako worry?"

Winry nodded, "I know...I really need some stability right now." She had gotten so used to caring for the soldiers, she missed the interaction. "Getting drafted to come down here in the first place was bad enough; at least let me rest for a while." When they landed on the beach, after becoming stranded, she suggested they stay on Riza's behalf. Her story had flipped and she was now the one who didn't want to move. Even though she said she wanted to stay, the feeling of being unsafe didn't lift for some odd reason.

After everyone met up again, they discussed a plan of action to get home. Roy finally agreed to begin telling Riza more of herself, he said he'd need a couple of days to think of things to tell her. Now that they were in a safer location, they would be able to better handle any crisis they may encounter.

Later that day, Winry passed by a small storehouse. Normally she didn't care, but she heard a whisper coming from inside that caught her interest. Her pace slowed as the voice grew a bit louder.

'_Not again_," said the first voice.

'_...mind before...not a one..._' and the second voice faded again.

'_I said I didn't,_" the first voice sounded again. This time it was familiar, it sounded like Edward.

Winry was certain that Ed said he was helping with the rice harvest that afternoon. She was also sure they left already. A closer position by the window was needed. She crouched along side of the tiny building, and leaned on the wall slightly.

'_I don't...her...know,_" he said, '_she can't._'

'_She won't,_' said Farai, the person who owned the second voice.

'_Because it won't happen again,_" he assured her.

'_I doubt she'd notice. She's too busy all the time, the girl works too much,_' Farai was trying to sound persuasive.

There was a long pause. A pause so long that Winry wanted to get up and look in the window to see what was happening, but she didn't. She said and did nothing as her heart pounded away in her chest. Even with the temptation to look presenting itself. Even with the truth right there. Winry knew she was working hard, that's how it had been since the beginning, since Resembool. '_Why it should start mattering now_?'

'_When was the last time?_' Farai asked. The conversation picked up again.

'_Last time...'_ he paused, '_Alone? A while,_' he admitted.

'_We're alone now_.'

'..._time..._,' he said and footsteps went to leave the hut.

Not wanting to be seen, Winry darted around the back of the small building. If she hadn't heard it with her own ears she wouldn't have believed it. "No, he's talking about something else." Convincing herself as she walked off, but not being able to stop wondering if all was what it seemed to be.

Quail and mushroom rice was on the menu that evening. Edward let on like nothing was said as they ate their meal together. She thought, '_Should I say anything?_' It was hard not to, but nothing was called to attention. Winry assumed Ed was trying to let Farai down gently. She knew only vague details on who the girl was and couldn't tell if she was someone she could trust. '_Maybe I could spend some time around her...just to get to know her..._' Quickly realizing what she was thinking, she pushed the thought of stalking someone far away. Days passed and nothing was mentioned, so she put it at the back of her mind.

Riza was in a different frame of mind, forcefully pressuring her answers. She adopted the village as her own and began to blend in. Roy's stubbornness had finally gotten on her naive mind's last nerve and caused a rebellion. Until someone agreed to tell her everything, she would remain hidden under a shawl with only her eyes exposed.

The village had very different beliefs from the 'norm' of Amestris. When women were in their last months of pregnancy, they would be covered in a white outfit from head to toe. It was believed to ward off evil spirits and bad luck, and evidently, Roy, himself. He thought he may have been able to tell who she was, but unfortunately Riza was clever enough to stuff her belly to look larger and painted her face a darker shade. This was confirmed by Mai, who wholeheartedly agreed with her.

"This is getting on my nerves," Mustang huffed as he turned the only electrical device in the village over to its side. It was an old radio that had only broken recently, so there was still hope that it worked. "If only I had Fuery."

"Any luck?" Aria asked from the doorway.

He grabbed a different sized screwdriver, "None yet," he said and began removing a metal back plate from the radio.

"What about Riza," she said. "You know, RanFan and Mai are siding with her. They think you should be honest with her."

"Did they now?" he asked, but it sounded like it was for show. He couldn't be more bothered with her.

"Yeah...said it was a person's past they makes them who they are. Aaaand that if she was strong enough to endure the memories then, she can do it now." Aria tried to site the two of them as closely as possible. "I only bring this up because you're secluding yourself, and I think she's the reason why. You did this before."

"I'm trying to get this transmitter working so we can contact the military camp...and didn't _you_ try this once before?" he asked.

Caught off guard for a second, she stuttered, "I-I, uh...what do you mean?"

With a frustrated sigh he looked at her, "Trying to psychoanalyze me? How did it turn out last time?"

"...it didn't," she admitted.

"There you have it. She'll remember when the time comes," he said and went back to fixing the radio.

She attempted to sound hopeful, "What could she have done that you can't tell her about. Isn't she a Captain? That's an impressive title."

"Yes," he agreed, "She was also in the Ishvalan extermination. Do you want to be the one to tell her that she had over three-hundred head shots on innocent civilians?"

With wide eyes, she said, "...nnnno...I'll let it go," and got up.

"I think that's best."

She left the hut with a heavy heart. It may have been her anxiety level, but she couldn't shake the feeling that things weren't what they should be (aside from being lost in a jungle). Winry had low energy, Roy wasn't eating properly, Riza was missing from right under their noses and Mai was up to her old tricks again. RanFan never spoke, which she wasn't sure if that was how it always was, but she didn't like it. Jean and Ling were doing alright. Ed and Al were also fine. Considering what they had gone through shortly before being stranded, she was shocked they were handling things the best out of all of them. '_Maybe I should talk to them for some advice again,_' she thought, remembering how well it worked last time.

"Hey," Farai caught up to Aria with a brisk step, "You goin' to help with supper?"

She was another face who was doing fine, if not thriving. Aria gave her a nod, "Why not..."

"...hmm?" The taller girl couldn't help but notice her mood, "Somethin' get to you?"

Aria shook her head, "I'm stressing about everything. Don't worry, maybe some hard work will get my mind off of things." Farai led her to the area where some other women were preparing food. "Is this all we do now?"

She turned to the newcomer, "Cook? Or eat?"

"...both. I never realized how much there was to do back home, it kind of makes me feel like I've taken it for granted." She began, "I mean, we've been here for, what, four months? We've been exposed to so much already." The list of things in her head grew on a daily basis, famine, poison, drugs, terrorists and now being marooned by explosives and an unforgiving current.

"You jus' got to know who and what to think about." As she said this, her eyes caught a quick glimpse of Edward helping build a hut. He had a rope in his hands which he pulled back on, lifting one of the walls to a standing position. Holding it steady, the other man, from the village, nailed it soundly in place. "Sometimes you worry about more than jus' yourself, and that can be your downfall round here. You're fine, right? Not sick? Hungry?" she asked.

Aria had to give that question some time to process, because she wasn't sure if she was fine. "As good as I'll get right now."

"Then focus on that. Doesn't matter how much you want something, worrying about it won't change a tin'." She walked up to an opening in the circle of chefs. "Coming from a big city, this must be a shock." Farai knew the people from Amestris benefited from a conforming society, so living off the land like this wasn't common.

She shook her head, "Not really...well, maybe a bit. I came from a farming town, so this kind of thing happens a lot where I'm from," workers preparing food outdoors and such.

"How do you think those people keep going? They let go of the things that hold them back and they live on. Farmers had a hell of a time the year I left my home country, but none of them gave up. When some opportunity vanished, they found something else to do to survive." She said and handed Aria a sharp knife for segmenting the vegetables collected throughout the day.

"Something else? Like what?" she asked, hopeful that she could apply the lesson to her own life.

"Dey' grew corn," she said as though it was guessable.

Not as philosophical as she'd hoped, "Oh." Assuming a farmer would give up their profession because of one year of bad luck was kind of silly now that she looked back on it. "So...if one thing doesn't work...do the next best thing? Basically?"

Farai nodded, "Simple, huh?"

"The whole way down here I was excited to get to see all the different plant life, but now I'm so worried about being lost or eaten or poisoned. I should stop worrying..." she thought hard, "...and just continue what I was planning on doing...don't focus on getting back, focus on learning."

"You're on the right path. Hmm, plants you say? I think I know someone you may want to talk to. When we're done here I want to take you to someone." They sat across from one another, peeling sweet potatoes, unaware of the blue eyes watching them intently.

* * *

So...yeh' mad? *does a little dance while her readers get angry* I probably won't update again until January. I've got Christmas, my daughter's birthday and my birthday to deal with. I'll be twenty-five.

I signed up in 2002 with an older account, which shall remain nameless. Next September coming, I'll have been on FF dot net for ten whole years. Woot!


	29. Chapter 29 I Am

Remember me?

* * *

**Chapter 29 – I Am**

"Hello?" Roy spoke quietly into the microphone. It was the middle of the night and he was hoping the radio was finally working. The static on it had disappeared, a sign that it was operational, "...or it's totally dead," he said and laid his hand down at his side, for he was exhausted from fighting with the thing. The village had limited resources, so it made the repairs nearly impossible.

Havoc's cigarette ash blew away as a cool breeze from the window took it. It landed on the floor of the hut. "It was worth a try...shame...I liked that tin too," he was referring to the cigarette holder he donated to a worthy cause: parts.

"Whatever, I don't care anymore," Roy laid across the top of radio in silence and stared blankly at the playful pattern on the cloth of the door to the hut.. "..." He held up the hand piece to eye level. "...this is the part where you start working..." he said as if he was expecting the thing to work all of a sudden.

"...it's not the movies boss," he regretfully informed him.

"I know." Roy looked at the button, it was loose, but it still pressed inward, "...hello?" he said again.

"Just go to bed." Havoc lit one of the last of his cigarette's off the one in his mouth.

"Maybe." He looked over to his team member, "...it's times like this, I wish I liked those things." The pack was extended to him, he refused.

Havoc put them in his pocket, "Suit yourself. Go to bed," he said and began to get up.

Roy turned and rested on his opposite cheek, facing away from the modest door. "No, dammit," he pointed blindly behind him in the direction he wanted Havoc to go, "Close the drape on your way out." He did as instructed and left Mustang to his own devices.

"Again?" Farai asked.

Jean nodded, "Yeah, he's sure it'll work. I told him that the static fading meant nothing."

"He may have picked up the base," she said.

"You're starting to sound like him." He heaved a sigh and made his way back to his own room.

It was no question that Roy wasn't himself when Riza wasn't at his side. But the fact that she was right beneath his nose, still inaccessible, was torment.

As tormenting as Winry's fears were; they were slowly becoming a reality. She suffered in silence as it got harder to cope with. No matter how hard she worked, nothing numbed the pain of being toyed with. Many times she heard 'her' talking to Edward and decidedly let it go. She deemed keeping it to herself was best, now wasn't the time to be making waves.

When Edward wouldn't give her the information she wanted, she decided to get Aria in on the speculation. With a quick plea, Winry coaxed the girl into following her. They laid in wait around a corner until she saw her target. "There, watch." Winry held her body close to the side of the building, to minimize her chances of being seen.

The smaller of the two was being shown a scene between Edward and Farai. "It does look like _something_...," Aria said. Her inflection indicated she was not sure if that 'something' was 'anything'. The exchange between the two had ended and they parted ways. It didn't look suspicious. Everyone had to help out with the work load, and since Farai was the only one who could translate for them at the moment, she was always around their group. Aria tried not to stare directly at Farai as she spoke to Ed; unlike Winry, who was determined to make the girl catch fire with her burning glare. "Have you tried talking to him about it?" A word of good advice.

"I did...kind of..." she was referring to hint dropping, like inquiring how Farai was or asking about things she spoke of. When she brought it up, Ed managed to explain his actions flawlessly. In her mind, it was a sign he rehearsed it.

With a quick scan of her memories, Aria shook her head, "how do you 'kind of' ask something? Last I checked, Ed's no good with subtlety; you should be up-front about it."

"I'm afraid of what he'll say. We had an argument about it the last time I brought it up; he keeps telling me there's nothing going on. But I can't be making up the conversation I overheard." She was referring to the one in the storehouse the night they arrived; she told Aria about it earlier that week. "I don't know what went on when he was gone...maybe he wants to go back."

"Now you know that's bull, come on." Aria was disappointed she would even come to that conclusion. "Are you sure you heard _them_ in the shed? You didn't see either of the two."

"Who else speaks English here? It's not that simple. What if he's in pain?" She looked at the dry grass beneath her. "Even if I did have the tools to tune up his automail, I don't have the parts to replace the broken ones. He hasn't been walking right since his encounter with Riza." Winry leaned up against the wall and slid to the ground, ruffling her shirt with bark on splinters. "He looks so addled all the time. What if she's offered him more of that drug?" Her forearm covered some impending tears.

"Where would it come from? And there's no telling if she even had feelings for him like that." Aria sat next to her and laid against the side of the building, her shoulder supporting her so she could talk face to 'side of' face.

"He said she confronted him, suggesting that because I wasn't around that it would be 'okay'," she said, biting back some anger. They had been close childhood friends for so long, maybe his feelings were changing for her.

"She probably thought he was lonely and wanted to thank him for helping her. Let's face it, out here is kind of...shitty." Relations being one of the few things one could do to pass the time, aside from working or eating.

"Even so, if he's in enough pain he may ask for help. And I don't have anything for him. I don't know what'll happen. You don't think he'll fall back into use?"

"He's bigger than that."

Winry sighed and looked back to the crowd, she had been fighting the tears for a while, they fell as she scanned the group. Ed had moved on, he was no longer where she remembered. "Pain makes people do stupid things." She recalled how badly Alphonse was hit when he found out his last remaining family member was gone. "What if he-"

"-Ed's smart," she continued, "If he wanted to deceive you, I think he may have succeeded."

She shot her friend a glare, "What's that mean?" she said with a mean streak.

She held up her hands, palms toward her friend, "Not that you-oh, sorry...I mean.-He wouldn't have even told you that Farai made a pass at him if he didn't want you to be suspicious. If he was trying to deceive you, don't you think he'd have done a better job?" she suggested.

Winry mulled that idea around. "That does make sense...but then what were they talking about? He said he was gone on the harvest with everyone else when I hear them talking."

Aria thought, then she said, "Did you dream it? Sometimes when I have a really vivid dream I can't tell if I've done something or not. Especially depressing when you dream about weeding your entire garden or doing all your dishes." The girl seemed to be alone in this sense.

"I don't usually dream," she said with confusion.

"I had that dream and when I woke up the chore was not complete, but it was also raining," she said with a defeated tone.

She gave Aria's story time to process and then shrugged, "No, I'm positive I was awake. I'll wait this out some more...Ed's probably trying to keep the leg still to preserve it." The coconut oil they tried to make didn't agree with the coating on the wires, weakening them. "There _are_ other things I need to do."

With a quick ear and lip, "Hopefully none of those things are stalking anyone," Aria said. They stood up together. "Right?" she tried to get Winry to confirm her actions.

Winry looked shocked, "I'm not stalking anyone!" She paused, Slowly realizing that peeping on someone from behind a building could very well constitute 'stalking'. "Eh-don't worry. I'm going to try and block her out."

"I still don't think there's anything between them...it just doesn't feel like Ed. Their personalities don't even work well." Ed being studious and hard working, the other not so much.

Winry tossed that fact around. "True...but she is a link to her brother."

"Right, Raul. I'm surprised someone hasn't come looking for her yet." Aria walked along side Winry down the dusty road. "With all she knows about him I'm surprised he doesn't want to keep her quiet."

"Edward said they kept her drugged to keep her there." Insinuating she probably didn't know much, if anything.

"Nathan mentioned she had a problem with usage and such," she uttered a comment that unknowingly stirred a touch of worry, in herself.

"Farai won't turn back to the needle. I remember how sick she was, she hated it...Maybe we should talk to her." This statement earned her a stare.

"Stalker."

"No." Winry blushed, it did seem fishy. "I mean, maybe if I knew more about where she came from, I'll understand her more."

"...I'm going to be there," Aria said, narrowing her eyes.

"Let's invite everyone." Winry suggested.

Aria looked relieved. Getting to know Farai was fair, understanding her a good way to stop fearing her. "Actually, can we only invite the girls? I want to talk to Riza, and I doubt she'll talk if Roy is there."

"Good idea." Riza confided in Winry. Only she knew whom to speak with when the group needed to deliver a message.

When that woman went into hiding she pulled out all the stops. She was painting her face, wearing a shawl and a false belly to conceal her true self. Her shoes were elevated to change her height, clothing stuffed to change her shape. The fact she was willing to do all of that despite the heat was another testament to willpower. Sadly she couldn't recall anything on her own. Until Roy agreed to come completely clean about her past.

Winry kept her identity secret, her extensive knowledge of medicine was her in. The girl had treated her wounds and brought her back from the brink of death, she owed her _her life_.

"See if you can get her to contact RanFan, it's been two weeks since her last check-up, right?" Aria said, remembering the day they arrived. "May as well, it seems like we're all focused now." There was a noticeable adjustment to her attitude when things were at stake. Yet another amazing person with them. RanFan, another. She and May scanned the perimeter of the village several times a day for dangers, be it human or otherwise. The only member who was four months pregnant and still working like a horse.

Later that evening, they managed to secure a lodging. It was the largest building in the village. Made of heavy lumber and a locking door, it was the perfect place to talk. Aria and May lowered the board straight down on the hooks on the door, sealing it shut.

Riza took down her hood, a different color from the daytime, and loosened her hair. "I miss my short hair," she said, tying it up in a bun.

"Why not cut it?" RanFan suggested.

"Why would I grow it this long? There's probably a reason, I don't want to cut it because of that," she said, saddened slightly.

"Makes sense," she said. Sitting out in the open, even within a building, was foreign to her. So was the situation from within. She felt her body was not suited for motherhood, it had far too many scars.

"I suppose. If you like, I can reattach it for you," Aria said.

"I'll be alright," she managed a soft smile.

"Why the hut?" Farai asked.

"Security," Riza said and leaned back in her seat. Her legs were healing nicely and needed to be elevated. Winry and Farai piled up a couple pillows and laid her legs down gently.

"And I wanted to do a check-up." Winry said and reached in a familiar cabinet, emerging with a rather large kit. "I'm actually getting pretty good at this 'people' thing." Her usual patients didn't have a pulse, so it was something to get used to.

RanFan looked uncomfortable, "If I must," she said and sat in a designated seat away from the circle with Winry.

"I'm not judging you, there's no need to be shy," she ignorantly stated.

"Why would you need to judge me? Don't be so foolish." RanFan seemed angry with her statement.

"Foolish? You seemed on edge. When young girls become pregnant, they can get uncomfortable." She defended her position.

"A girl? I'm more than a girl. You'd best stick to your job, you're actually good at it," infering her people skills need fine tuning.

Winry gathered her thoughts, because swinging a wrench at a baby was impossible for her, she needed to find a solution elsewhere. "I don't know what I did to upset you...where I'm from-"

"That's the thing with you. Where you're from is different, don't judge us all with the same hand," she said loud enough for all to hear. "Your position is neutral. As it should always be."

That rung with her. She judged the actions of others based on what she thought was normal. That night, RanFan did her a lot of good. "That's a good point. Let me see your arm." The procedure went on in silence, broken occasionally with quiet two word commands.

All the others heard the exchange and were awestruck. Even May, who was from the same culture. "She doesn't talk much, but when she does, woo," she said and blew on her soup. They had boiled some broth from supper to keep warm. "We're all out of place here RanFan, mine that anger of yours. It's not good for the baby," May's words were true, and held value to RanFan.

"Understood," she said.

Yet again, Winry was astounded at the exchange. Someone helping her remain healthy didn't hold as much importance as a surname. "You haven't gained weight. Try not to do so much running." She only received a nod. RanFan silently rose and walked over to take her place by the fire.

"Riza," Aria said, "Can I ask you about your fighting style?"

She seemed shocked, that was something that hadn't been mentioned in a while. "What of it?"

"I've never seen it before. Maybe if you thought about where you would have learned it, it'll help trigger some memories," she said.

"Trigger memories? I'll give it a try," Riza sounded lost.

"Do you think you could explain it to me?" she asked, not aware of how hard that question was to answer.

Riza thought about it, "I don't know where to begin. I don't really remember a beginning."

"Then," she said and hesitated. Aria then proceeded to ask about various holds that could be placed on someone, and how to get out of each. Riza did her best to explain it, the arm holds were easy, but the legs were a different story. "Here," she said and placed her two fingers down on the floor in front of Riza, like two little legs.

She laughed, "I see," a chuckle and then so were her two tiny legs. It brought new light to thumb wrestling, middle-index grappling.

As this was going on, Winry neglected to see anyone move in on her. Right up until three strands of her hair were being separated from the rest, "Hey," she said as Farai looked like a deer in the headlights.

"One braid, then I'll leave you alone," she said, remaining still as a statue.

She looked at her expression, it looked afraid. Winry knew Aria hadn't said anything to her about her worries, so there was no reason for Farai to be unfriendly with her. Since she hadn't interacted much with her in the past couple weeks, maybe she did this often. Maybe this action of hers was acceptable in her culture, "Go ahead," she said, hoping this was a sign of trust.

Farai relaxed and proceeded to braid a row across her forehead using all of her bangs. When complete, it hung in front of her ear and past her chin. It contained a blue ribbon, the same shade as her eyes. "You should leave that for a few days," she said with a smile and held up a mirror, showing Winry that her forehead was noticeably lighter than the rest of her face.

She laughed, "Automail really is my life. I need to get outside more." Of all the years she lived in the humid temperature of Resembool, not once did she see herself tan. All was well, the meeting as a success in many ways.

It was a shame none of the others in the group thought so. Roy went so far as to try and listen. "They better not say anything."

Ed shook his head, "Why don't you spy on them with the radio you fixed," he rubbed in.

"That's not a bad idea," he said.

"Yes it would," Ling said from above them. The log supporting the top of the roof stuck out several feet from the main structure. Ling's feet clutched it in such a way he was able to 'stand' upside-down. "I can hear them. They're not talking about Riza's past."

"This is a bit much," Alphonse pointed out. "We all agreed on not telling her. No one's going to say anything." Trying to listen in on them seemed sleazy to him.

Sometimes it's good to hear a comforting voice; for Roy, it was hers. Knowing she was alright was one thing, but hearing her was another. The thing in her past he feared wasn't Ishval. It was far more personal than that. "You kids don't get it," he said and rested his back against the wall in defeat. Riza's mind was up to chance, and his odds looked grim.

* * *

I thought I lost it back there, but I think I got a hold of this puppy!  
I'll try to update more, I don't have class on Thursday or Friday anymore. :b


	30. Chapter 30 Preception

Life is so difficult at times...kind of makes you want to a-splode. D: Anyway, it seems sorrow is a catalyst for me, so here's another chapter.

* * *

**Chapter 30 - Preception**

* * *

Winry admired the ribbon braided into her hair. "Maybe I was wrong" she whispered, straightening a few loose strands.

Aria nudged her with an elbow, "Told you," she said quietly, "She's like that with everyone." Referring to Farai's physical mannerisms; they made her seem like she was trying to get closer than necessary, literally. It _was_ how she _was_. They sat cross-legged near the fire, waiting for RanFan to change. Her maintenance was finished and she could put on something warmer, the pregnancy seemed to be sucking all of her heat. "When is your due date?" Aria asked curiously.

"The calendar's we use are different from yours, but I've been through twelve weeks," she said, precisely.

"Thirty-six weeks minus..." Winry counted in her head, "You still have six months to go."

"Wait," May thought, "You conceived right before Master Ling left." She gave her a smirk coupled with a conniving look. "Is it really his? Or is it for the protection?"

"That's not a concern," she began, "...but I'm certain," she said. Born and raised a warrior, there was no place for something as soft or loving as a child and family; it truly was a difficult thing to talk about. She was hoping to have scooped up Ling weeks ago and be done with the horrible foliage of the underbrush, spiked and spiteful.

"How is a baby protection?" Aria asked. Hopefully her question stirred less rage than the last question she was asked.

Where RanFan did not speak, May filled in the blank, "Her family is going broke. Bearing the child of a royal family member grants them protection."

RanFan blushed, shamed by her family's laundry being aired. She decided to defend her decision, though deep down she knew the opinions of these people meant nothing. "Since my grandfather's passing, we've been vulnerable. Surrounding clans took advantage of our loss and have been causing truble by blocking our trade routs. Many have been going hungry. Young Master researched the laws surrounding our territory and informed me of the doctrine stating the rule. Since then we tried to conceive. I was fortunate it only took a short while." She neglected to mention they succeeded on just their second month of trying, needless conversation.

"It's hard to deal with these things on your own, you need to talk to people." Aria cautiously added.

She buried half of her face behind her knees, hiding her reddened cheeks, "Telling you people changes nothing," she said looking rather frazzled.

"An' so?" Farai began, "Relating to people and being shown empathy is a way to heal. You talk high and mighty, but you don't know what these girls have to offer."

"I'm in no position to take advice from common folk." Her stoic nature trumped that of Riza, who was looking on in awe.

"Den' why bother?"

"I've nothing else to do right now."

"Then why not talk about food? It's the only other thing we have in common. You wanted to talk about your problems, that's fine and no'mal. Just stop acting as if we're supposed to treat you differently, we don't know what your title means. My family owns half of Remicia, and that means nothing in this jungle. I can't feed myself with money, when the money means nothing. Understand?" It would seem she had that building for a while.

RanFan called her out, "You've given this some thought, haven't you?"

She nodded, "Some," her voice indicated she was content with her piece being spoken.

"...sorry," she said with defeat.

"Don't be sorry. When your grandfather left you, your village suffered. If you don't stick together things are difficult. Simple. If not for the small numba' of people in this village, you would be all alone for miles. A lone wolf doesn't bode too well here, unless he has stripes."

She nodded, "I see."

"Did you want to talk about anything else?" Farai continued.

RanFan turned her head to the side and said a quick, "-no." And that was it.

"Oh well, at least the door is open now," Winry mentioned.

"Eh, maybe just the peephole," Aria held her fingers close and looked at RanFan through them. They laughed a bit, even the quiet one let out a semi-silent huff of enjoyment.

Riza smiled, though it looked a little sad, "I wish I had even a peephole into my past. Maybe I'd get some ideas. Seeing all of you so strong gives me hope."

The only one in the room who knew anything looked moderately uncomfortable. Winry had been asked a few times now to give her a hint, but she had to refuse. Not wanting to take the blame for anything going wrong. She kept her lips sealed, _it seemed she was doing that a lot lately_. The whole 'your a strong woman' only went so far. "I wish there was something I could tell you, but he said-"

"-I know," she didn't allow the sentence to continue, for she had heard it too many times already. "I'm not fishing for answers, I'm alright." She saw Farai smile a little, pleased with the healing.

"Why not come out of hiding then? This undercover act isn't making much of an impact on him," Winry said, almost convincing Riza to do as such. She declined in the end.

Farai was the first to leave the hut, upon request, to make sure Roy was nowhere to be found. He wasn't outside. She did however spot one of the Elric's sitting, waiting for his mate. It was the older one, the one she couldn't seem to sway. She moved in quickly and silently, "You look so tense,'" she said in one ear.

Ed blushed, uncomfortable that she was once again making physical contact with him in public, "I don't like being stuck so far from home and security...and hospitals. Are you guys done," he asked as he grew anxious. If Winry saw this she wouldn't believe him ever again. how to dislodge her without invoking insult.

She began one of her famous back massages; some of the men in the village lined up for this, a 'Farai Rub'. She leaned in close and guided Ed to look around with her, "If this were your home, you'd be there already. And we have hospitals...in fact your lady friend is working there _right now_," her tone suggesting, that Winry was at a distance.

"My answer's the same, and I'm not in the mood for a back rub anyway." Frustrated with her antics, he headed off to wait for Winry elsewhere. The girl sure did know her way with her hands, but now was not the time. As he left the hut area, he passed by some cloaked ladies standing nearby; they chattered amongst themselves and dispersed as soon as he tried to make eye contact. '_That was odd,_' he thought as he walked along the roadside.

He tried to avoid Farai's advances, and if he waited too long it seemed like he was in deeper than he actually was. She would always come up to him and attempt to make 'nice', each time he would refuse her. What made it worse was that Ed began feeling Winry was becoming suspicious of Farai. Edward began to wonder if his inability to stay away from her was beginning to have repercussions. She was one of three translaters, and that made it impossible to go a day without passing her at least a dozen times.

Next out was Winry. Roy then caught up to her as she left the area. A small group of similarly dressed women would show up soo to lead Riaz back into hiding by blending her into their crowd.

"Tell her this date," Roy said and handed her a paper with something scratched down on it.

A quick glance at the date and she was puzzled to see it was from many years ago. "What's this for?"

"It has sentimental value. Since this date was before we met, she should understand." He turned and walked away.

The note was handed off, and although she was working with only half her memories, it struck a cord in her; yet caused her to go completely silent. She stood up from where she sat, with the help of the other villagers, and asked to be taken to Roy. "I never told anyone about this," she stated with total disbelief upon locating Roy. She cornered him with only two of the villagers on her arms, for safety.

"You trusted me," was all he said, earning him and couple of arms around his shoulders.

"Thank you," Riza said and let go, "I must trust you a lot. I had a thought the other day, but didn't want to act on it, because it was only one...but...Private Mustang. I recall my father mentioning that name a few times. He was showed promise to become a state alchemist...that's you."

"Rather, it 'was' me. I've come a long way since." Mustang really knew how to handle his information, he was sure not a hair was out of place. "Far enough to have been granted a talented assistant such as yourself."

"How did I get into all this?" she said forlorn, looking down at the note.

He gently plucked the paper from her fingers, "You'd be surprised, it has little to nothing to do with who you are right now." And it was that line that did it, sending her right back into his arms, full of tears. The occasional 'thank you' slipped out here and there. Roy hadn't informed the others of this plan, so they were going to be as surprised as she was right now. The sensitivity surrounding the subject was cause for airing on the side of caution. There was no 'blabing out answers', he needed to plan his actions as though he were back in Central, playing a chess game against fuhrer Grumman. Roy took on the daunting task of not only giving her something useful, something that instilled trust, hopefully it didn't line him up for a 'check'.

"I can hear her crying," Aria said quietly as she brushed on by the small room they inhabited. She took those words back to Ed and Al who were waiting with Winry. She explained what she heard, "I only got half the conversation, but she kept on thanking him."

Al laughed a bit, "That sneak, I thought he wasn't going to tell her anything. I say let him be, it seems he's playing by his own rules anyway."

"He gives me a headache," Ed snarked.

Aria interjected, "Who knows? Memory loss is weird, there's no exact science to it."

"I know certain things can trigger memories," Winry began, "Smells, voices and sounds. Maybe that's what he was trying to do. The date he gave her was from years ago, I think we were only four or five when 'it' happened. I wonder what it was, maybe an anneversery?"

"It doesn't seem familiar, must be personal," Edward said and watched Aria ponder the whole situation with Alphonse for a while; the other two wanted sleep.

"You two can work on that," Ed said, and headed off to find something flat to pass out on, Winry followed.

After a while of brainstorming, they decided it was worth asking about. Mustang refused the question, claiming it to be of a non-damaging nature and 'non-their-concern'. The following question about the radio was answered. Alphonse wanted take a look at the radio, for he had fixed a few in his time. He thought he might as well have a crack at it, since Roy was abandoning all his missions at the moment. "They're gone," Was all he said; and he had only pushed a few buttons too.

"What?" Aria stated, confused, and approached the old radio that laid next to him. "Who's gone?"

"The military," he said, "Listen," and began to tune the radio. He picked up a coupled foreign languages broadcasting perfectly, but not the base. "This group, 'Kuuzima Moto' is one I know, north of the base, I've heard them before." He proceeded to check all other frequencies. "There's nothing. I'll tune it to the one Mustang kept trying." Silence and static. "...I think we're stranded."

Aria sat on the floor next to him, shocked, "They had to have send out a search party."

"Maybe when May and the others stole that car and took off, they drew their line in the sand." Al laid the received down at his side and adopted the face Mustang had worn many times, grief. "I did hear them talking about the number of casualties."

"Should we tell the others?" she asked, heart pounding in her chest, butterflies being held up in her stomach.

"I know what it's like to be kept up, no. One more night of hope..." Al leaned against the wall, eyes shut.

They sat in silence, then Aria piped up a few minutes in. "We're surrounded by hills, aren't we?"

Al opened his eyes, and stared at her in silence for a few moe seconds. "...Maybe," he said and hung up the receiver, "The signal is better in the morening. Let's let that be our hope for tonight." They two tried to catch a litttle sleep.

In another part of the small collective Ed decided to tell Winry about his earlier encounter with Farai and the 'almost' shoulder rub. "I don't get it, I told her I wasn't interested before."

Winry nodded, "Listen Ed, about before...when we all met in the log cabin, Farai was close to everyone. I think I understand her a bit better now. It was the way she was brought, it's part of her custom. We should respect that."

Ed raised an eyebrow, "Yeah? Well if we have to respect her culture, she should be doing to same."

"Be patient Ed. When the military finally picks up, we'll be out of here in a few days," she said optimistically. Winry leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek while snuggling in close with the blankets. It was nice to get to sleep in an actual bed, not just a creaky old cot.

"Right," he said and wrapped his free arm around her. They dozed off to sleep. Ed didn't have the nerve to tell her that he was unable to pick up the military signal. "..." his breath sounded like the beginning of a word, but nothing followed.

"Hmm?" Winry inquired quietly from beneath the covers.

"...Good-night," he closed his eyes and tried to forget about their hopeless situation.

Winry closed her eyes and tried to feel confident Ed didn't want to say anything about Farai. She tried until a couple welling tears finally sealed her eyes shut. '_It's not true. It's not true,_' she said to herself many times before drifting off.

* * *

Yet another up an running, let me know what you think. {:


	31. Brief Hiatus

Dear Everyone,

You may have noticed that I haven't been updating much lately. I've actually been quite sick. Though it is rather embarrassing, because it's my bowel being affected, I felt I should caution and inform anyone who cares to read on. If you are having digestive troubles, please tell your doctor, don't be ashamed or afraid to speak up. I let it go too long and now I'm booked for surgery on this coming Monday. I'm only twenty-five, this wasn't something I thought I would have to deal with, but here it is. I love writing and I miss it, I can't wait to come back. I wanted to post this as a heads up; I do plan on continuing my works, but they have been put on hold until I know what's wrong.

Thank you for listening, I look forward to returning.

-_Eve Nightingale_


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